New Release – Star Crossed Lovers by Jucundi
Rob (Jucundi) grew up in post-industrial Wolverhampton (UK). In his early years he lived in a simple happy home with no TV, just a record player, portable radio and a slightly out of tune old piano. He watched his mum teach his dad piano and learned a little himself in their small back room.
The area he grew up in was rich in music. On his way to friends he would walk past Dave Hill’s (Slade) gold Rolls Royce parked on his drive. Live music was everywhere and heavy metal was huge. He lists a favourite memory as throwing himself around the dancefloor to ‘Dizzy’ by The Wonder Stuff (of nearby Stourbridge) at the town’s Picasso nightclub.
He lists many bands as influences, but would point to The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Pet Shop Boys, The Wonder Stuff, Prince, Radiohead and Oasis as the main ones.
All his songs are written from the heart, with no formula. He records all non-vocal parts to his songs in his home studio, but often works with local studios on mixing. His preferred styles are guitar based emotional songs either fast or slow tempos, with edge.
His song ‘Star Crossed Lovers’ will be out July 20th.
“With this song I wanted, from the first chord strike, to give the listener the chance to remember how it felt to fall in love that first time. That first innocent hand holding, “you took my hand and you took me to the top of the world” – heart racing.”
“It was inspired by listening to stories of people separated by Covid. Love affairs, stopped in their tracks by lockdown, couples not allowed to see each other. So while the sound is uplifting, the words are expressing sadness – light and shade – “you said you would always be my girl, what about that?”.”
“I wrote it in 2021 as we entered another lockdown, and while not autobiographic, I remember falling in love and the heartbreak. I wrote it also when I was injured from running and remember it coming to me in the car as I drove back from a painkilling injection, maybe it was that that shot that actually wrote it :-)”
“This is the second track off the album to be released later this year, the first track, ‘I Feel Nothing’ was moody, slower, this is higher energy. And the album is mainly high energy – so I am trying to walk the listener towards my style. When I released ‘I Feel You’, I was contacted by listeners of Internet Radio Stations to tell me they loved it, and I like to think this will give them something higher energy and fresh.”
“There is artwork and a short video snippet featuring the same two people holding hands. I didn’t make it, but it was so right when I could not have done better. The artwork has lovers in as astronauts, a different take on masks, a barrier to kissing, the video has them holding hands. It is a metaphor for love in the pandemic.”
“When I release songs I have a mixture of excitement and horror, it’s a real love hate relationship, but I know I have to put my stuff out there to get noticed as a writer.”
