From the heart of Birmingham’s ever-growing indie scene comes Departures From The States Of Mind, the bold and beautiful debut album from Little Juke. Released in February 2025, the record is a powerful journey through emotional landscapes, threading together indie rock, folk, trip-hop, and soul into a sound that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
The opening track, Down The Rabbit Hole, immediately sets the tone — haunting piano chords meet steady beats and a crescendo of vocals that call to mind the tension and release of Radiohead. It’s an atmospheric entry point that hints at the emotional depth still to come.
One of the standout moments arrives with Time On My Mind, a track that pulses with forward motion, as if pushing through the mental fog it describes. The interplay between spoken-word verses and huge, chorus-driven payoffs creates a kind of cathartic energy that’s hard to resist. It’s introspective without being heavy-handed, experimental without losing its sense of melody.
Then there’s Death Of The Handshake, perhaps the most immediate and infectious song on the album. With brass arrangements that punch through a gritty, soulful rock backdrop, it’s a tune that feels built for live performance — all swagger and heart. Little Juke manage to explore weighty themes without sacrificing groove.
The album’s emotional centerpiece, When The Sea Came To Tea, is a poetic reflection on anxiety and uncertainty, drawing strength from the people who help us through. It begins as a delicate folk ballad and slowly builds to a cinematic climax, complete with triumphant brass and layered harmonies. It’s a masterclass in slow-burn songwriting, delivering its message with both subtlety and force.
Throughout the album, Little Juke showcase a rare ability to balance raw vulnerability with polished musicianship. The lyrics wrestle with internal battles, shifting moods, and the passing of time — but never in a way that feels overly bleak. Instead, there’s a sense of resolution, of forward motion. As the title suggests, these are departures — not stagnations — from the many emotional “states of mind” we all experience.
With Departures From The States Of Mind, Little Juke have delivered a debut that’s as emotionally rich as it is sonically diverse. It’s an album that rewards deep listening, but also offers enough hooks and heart to resonate from the very first spin. One thing is certain: Little Juke are no longer just “ones to watch” — they’ve arrived.
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