Juanita Stein is the Brighton-based Australian songwriter perhaps best known for her work in Howling Bells, but on October 2 she’s releasing an album under her own name called Snapshot. Having shared the title track previously, today she’s given us “The Mavericks”, about which she says:
“‘The Mavericks’ is a song that came together over a few years. The first half I’d already had written, the lyrics came in one blessed burst of lyrical expression, then I stashed it away, not knowing quite what to do with it. I was later able to complete it, whilst writing the songs for ‘Snapshot’. With the razor-edged perspective loss can bring, finding the right words became a lot easier for me. Sonically and lyrically, I wanted the song to rise and fall, swell and intensify, mirroring the cyclical nature of life.”
There is a certain tentativeness in Stein’s approach on the first half of “The Mavericks”, as if reliving the unspoken loss is a scary prospect that she must approach slowly. At first it is purely skeletal guitar and her tender vocals, singing in cryptic but compelling images: “The mavericks, the mavens / the hellholes and havens.” But, as she moves further into the song, her determination grows and with it comes more instrumentation; atmospheric toms give the song a lift, and with it Stein takes “The Mavericks” to a more peaceful and accepting place. Subtle adornments continue to grow into “The Mavericks” as she settles on the philosophy “not everything’s meant to be a straight line” – synths blots and intensifying violin noodles wreathe her thoughts in gorgeous melody, fully investing us in her ongoing emotional processing.
You can hear “The Mavericks” below or on your preferred streaming platform.
Juanita Stein’s new album Snapshot is out on October 2 via Nude Records. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
