June Jones: Leafcutter | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- Leafcutter is the second solo album from Melbourne artist June Jones, who first came to attention as frontwoman of Two Steps On The Water. While that band saw June setting her confessional lyrics to acoustic guitar and violin, Leafcutter continues her exploration of minimal synth pop.

Musically quite different then, but in other ways it feels familiar. June’s distinctive warbling voice has always reminded me mostly of Morrisey, and her lyrics continue to be raw depictions of her mental health journey.

“Emotion punk” is the name of June’s independent record label that is releasing Leafcutter, it was also a phrase used often in press materials for Two Steps On The Water. It’s an interesting description - for one, neither that band’s acoustic folk, nor the slow and bare synth pop of her solo work, are musical styles we generally associate with punk. There’s a kind of punkness to them both though, when compared to the sleek and widescreen production of much mainstream and alternative pop.

But the phrase also makes me think of the famous quote from punk legend Ian Mackaye when his band Embrace gave birth to the epithet “emo”. Ian asked if other hardcore bands had been robots. He makes a good point too - all music is emotional, and pop music is full of extreme displays of emotion far in excess of what most people would encounter on an average day.

And yet those who talk about bands like Rites Of Spring or June Jones as making “emotional” music have a point too, in that there is something distinctive about the emotions depicted here and the way they are being shared.

The pop tradition of grand expressions of love and heartbreak, or even the angry punk song, all broadly exist within the norms of performance - themes universal enough to connect with an audience, and often addressed to the listener in a way that invites us into the conversation. “I love you”, “I miss you”, “the man is doing this to us”. It fits within a normal understanding and practice of communication between two parties.

But then there’s another kind of emotional expression, of which we might use June Jones as an example. This is more like art as a form of catharsis. The emotion here is usually more personal than universal - that of depression, trauma, gender dysphoria. We’re used to hearing songs about love and heartbreak, less often about June Jones getting rid of mirrors and webcams from her house so she doesn’t have to see herself. And it is expressed in raw confessions, to which we are not sure how to respond. There’s something confronting about the exposure; and rather than resonance, we might feel awkward or even voyeuristic.

But our social norms of expression can do with a bit of breaking through sometimes, and Leafcutter contains a powerful affirmation of feelings many of us have suppressed or felt ashamed of.

The best song on the album is Therapy. It’s chorus of “I’m going to therapy” is remarkably anthemic. There’s something humorous about hearing a sentiment so personal and potentially embarrassing sung in this manner, but it’s also powerful. “I need something that can hide my shame” she sings, “I’m waiting in a hospital, I’m gonna stay here til it doesn’t hurt”.

The song is an affirmation of the many people in our society who populate mental health facilities, and everyone who doesn’t but searches for somewhere to reach out to. It’s also a celebration of healing, of “showing I am worthy of your love”. In its call to take personal action to change our inner world, Leafcutter deserves the label “emotion punk”.

- Andy Paine.
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