Coming off the success of their 2016 debut album The Past, Junior Fiction have spent the better part of 2020 teasing us with hints from their second album Your Love. Finally out today, Your Love is an expansion of what was heard on The Past - dense with uplifting pop melodies and swirls of dizzying guitar and organ interplay, over a restlessly buoyant backdrop. Featuring members of The Tropes, Dianas and Plaster of Paris and led by man-about-town James McLean, Your Love finds the collective crafting the most unapologetic pop music yet, without shaking the usual authentic DIY grit and rough-around-the-edges charm of their other projects.

An album highlight, ‘365’ builds around an infectiously adventurous guitar line, powered by an intricate rhythmic stomp as organs buzz cheekily in the background. James’ vocals are bold and consuming upfront, but as softer high register harmonies blend in amongst the ebbing instrumentation, there’s a beautiful balance between rough and tender - it’s sunny and vibrant, with the right amount of garage-punk attitude simmering beneath. When the track shifts at the chorus, Junior Fiction become more compelling than ever - the grooves all encompassing as James’ vocals soar - and it’s hard not to get caught up in the jubilant momentum of the track.

To accompany the single, Junior Fiction have also released a music video in the form of a stop-motion film clip by local film maker Adam Walsh. The video perfectly takes the restrictions of living at the time of a pandemic, and turns them into an opportunity to create something wonderfully unique. Packed with colour and playfulness, the clip masterfully pairs with the track’s warm swells of sound, and is a thoroughly entertaining watch.

Speaking about the album as a whole, James shares “the dream was to create a warm, bright and glorious album”, “a grown-up pop record that reveals the delicate and dynamic treasures on every listen.” Listening to ‘365’, as James tells us for “365 days I’ve been loving you”, it’s easy to feel this same thrilling sense of giddiness and joy.

To celebrate the release of the new clip, as well as the new album as a whole, we had a chat with James to dig deeper into ‘365’ and Your Love.

TJ: Hey James, how's it going? For the unacquainted, wanna tell us a bit about yourself and Junior Fiction?

JF: I'm doing pretty well really. My work is super busy, which can be a bit of a trial, but I'm also grateful to have a job. Things are pretty quiet at home with my partner and I. Our kid is homeschooling while my partner is working from home full time. So it seems that every time the weekend rolls around we're pretty happy to just have a lazy one. Go for a walk or kick the footy when the weather is good. Read books and play games when it's bad.

Junior Fiction is a band that emerged out of my burgeoning friendship with Sam [Gaul, guitar]. We both bought motorbikes around the same time and went on a few trips together. There's always something special that happens when you've got a shared goal. A bit of effort over time and an amusing anecdote or two, retold over a couple of cold ones at the end. It's like that with bands too. You can grow so much affection for people when you play music together. Like a family. I would definitely describe Junior Fiction that way. We've all had our share of difficulties to overcome and it's helped so much to know that we have that bedrock of friendship.

There’s a few recognisable faces from the local scene in Junior Fiction, with almost every member of the band performing in other Melbourne groups. How do you feel Junior Fiction separates itself from all the other music you make? How did you decide that these songs would be for Junior Fiction?

It's a bit like that in the Melbourne scene. You see faces pop up regularly that you recognise from other gigs and other bands. I'm always on the lookout for new people it seems. Whether it be to play music with or just to be around. It can be difficult to cultivate a friendship purely in the gig context though. The number of people, the noise, the general calamity can all serve to drive a socially apprehensive person further into their shell. On the other hand, when you play music together or share an interest then those social rewards come more readily I find.

I'm so happy about the way that Junior Fiction formed. Nobody really knew each other prior to playing together. It was high hopes on my behalf that made me reach out so far and wide to draw the right people in. Those formative early practice sessions were pretty exciting, particularly when I realised how talented these people were. There's always a fair level of anxiety too that appears when you get an idea of how great something can be but it's still untested.

I write songs for two bands, The Tropes and Junior Fiction. I always make the comment that Junior Fiction is like the grown-up version of The Tropes. It's a joke obviously but I think there is a little truth to it. Typically the songs which are flat out and have a straight beat go to The Tropes. Also, typically anything with a bit of venom and anger does the same. Though there are a lot fewer of those being written now thankfully. I write all the songs on bass as I never got around to learning to play the guitar. Due to my playing improving over time and also due to my influences broadening, I started really digging bass lines and rhythms that rocked on and off the beat. For lack of a better word, I'd say I got a bit funkier and wanted to make music that was danceable. This is what Junior Fiction does very well.

Then there is this large pool of songs that I continue to enjoy writing, which I'd classify as pop. These songs could go to either band but typically they go to whichever is in need of a new song or whichever I happen to rehearse with sooner. I also think that because I don't ever demo songs they are never entirely mine. I literally may only come up with one or two bass riffs, which are typically personalised after my input, and a handful of lyrics before the band gets hold of it. For that reason alone it will always take on the personality of those people who play it. Other than the fact that both bands play music that could be partly described as pop, I think that they couldn't be more different.

You’ve just released your new album Your Love today. Before we get into the new single and clip, how does it feel to have the new record out, especially at such a strange time in the world? Is there much of a story behind this album, or perhaps a message you’d like listeners to take away from it?

It feels great to release the album finally. I can trace the origin of this album back to when I met my partner. Though there is a song or two that existed prior, I feel that the heart of this album comes from everything after. I didn't know it back at the start but I was about to embark on the most significant period of change that I've undertaken in my adult life. The beginning of our relationship was a glorious time. I was made to feel totally at ease and as a result I felt like I could be myself. Like I wasn't trying to impress anyone. As cliche as that sounds, I don't think that's common.

My anxieties and regrets started to dissolve and fade and I noticed the same in my partner. We started making plans, you know, like adults do. And not in that resentful "goodbye to my youth and personal freedoms" way, but more like: "We can do this and this ... and wouldn't it be great if we did this". The biggest decision we made was to become guardians of my partner's nephew (who was 6 at the time). What a revelation! Definitely a proper adult type of thing to do. I can only describe the atmosphere in our relationship to be that of strong optimism. Most of the album is concerned with exactly that. So in reply to this "strange time" I say take stock in those people who are closest to you and use your combined strength to get through it. I think if people feel a portion of the joy I felt in making this album then it's a great time to hear it.

We’ve just had the pleasure of premiering the new clip for ‘365’. The song’s a bit of a belter and a real highlight from Your Love, what’s the story behind the track?

Thank you : ) I love this song. So warm and sparkly. A nice memento to remember our first anniversary. I wrote some words about it that I think help to add some insight:

What a year it's been.
Has it been that long already?
That good feeling is still there.
It continues to grow stronger
You still surprise me every day.
With your thoughtfulness and grace.
What a contrast to before.
All that darkness and doubt.
Now we're on a beam of warm white light.
And it can take us anywhere we want.

The clip is also pretty incredible. Could you tell us how that came about?

It really is incredible! I was totally floored when I watched it for the first time. Stop-motion has been around for a long time but it's seldom used in the mainstream these days. The main reason, I would say, is because it takes a long time and is very labour intensive. Something happened around the end of the 20th century with animation and movie-making. Everyone marvelled at the seemingly limitless opportunities available to create these expansive three-dimensional worlds with computers. But here we are some 20 years later and everyone has made themselves sick on this mass proliferation of hyper-realism. The human hand vanished and we've all become alienated from the content. I think people are beginning to crave anything that is hand-made. I certainly am. Or maybe I just have a childhood full of memories, watching 80s animation and practical effects. And I'll always have nostalgia for it.

Adam Walsh is the creative genius behind this clip. We've been friends for a long time and we both grew up in Albury. He's always been my go-to guy when I need a movie or tv-show recommendation. To say that he's a cinema-buff would be understating it. I first noticed some stop-motion shorts he'd been creating about six months ago. The first couple were quite short and simple but always had a narrative and part homage to 80s horror films. Within a few months the precision and inventiveness grew rapidly. There is a particularly great film he made for his niece's birthday which I'd recommend for anyone who wants some more content. Anyway, I asked him if he'd be interested in making a clip for Junior Fiction. He jumped at the chance and proceeded to devise, create and direct this amazing film. He asked the band to select an animal they identify with. The rest was completely his creation and I couldn't be happier with the result. Keep your eyes peeled for other cameos in the clip; my dog Fab and Adam's cat Mario get behind-the-scenes roles.

The album’s out through locals Roolette Records. How has your experience been working with them on the release?

It's been great. Carsten and Kahlia have always been a strong positive force in my life ever since I met them. I'm completely confident that every decision they make is based on their underlying love for the music and people on their label. I don't know too much about the Bizz, but I know a bit about good people, and they are two of the best. They have provided well considered advice to me and a significant contribution to the promotion and administration side of Junior Fiction leading up to this release. They also helped out a lot with the preparations for our launch gig, which unfortunately was put on the backburner due to the current state of things. That was a blow for sure. It'll happen though, down the track.

There’d usually be album launches and big celebrations ahead, but obviously that’s not quite the case this year. We often wrap up these interviews by asking what’s coming up next for the band, but instead - as we head towards the end of 2020, what’s keeping you feeling positive? Anything you’re hopeful for?

I'm definitely missing my friends and the freedoms my way of life has afforded me, but I feel like I have a balance of family and work at the moment so I'm pretty lucky really. I feel like the world is in hibernation and there is the chance to reflect and the time for self-care. I'm optimistic about how exciting it's gonna be when we come out the other side. How many creatives do you think are pouring over their metaphorical cauldrons right now cooking up something special? The creative and emotional outpour will eclipse anything our generation has ever seen.