Sarah Miller (Junetunes) is a singer-songwriter with a penchant for emotional and emotive indie/bedroom pop. She is from Crystal River, Florida but has since joined the U.S Airforce and relocated to Japan. Her circumstances make for thought-provoking brain food in the form of heart-on-your-sleeve tracks that are as vulnerable as any diary entry. The subject matter includes melancholic nostalgia, anxiety about the future, having confidence in yourself in the face of all of the confusing aspects of the world, and falling in love. That hardly covers it, as Miller does a good job at summing up what it’s like to be a young person navigating through life’s odd and beautiful moments.
Miller’s vocals are versatile, sometimes sickly sweet and other times absolutely soaked with melancholy. She does a fantastic job of stretching out her range to its limits but her delivery isn’t perfect. That being said, I think it speaks to how much of a punch the tracks have that her vocal missteps (voice cracks, points where she becomes overly emotional) actually add to the experience instead of detract. Her down-to-earth nature only makes these tracks more appealing in every way possible. She also taps her inner snark on “Honest,” including a lot of clever and well-placed quips. The song “Solitude,” a spacey ballad about being introverted and sick of too much interaction speaks to me personally as well. The chorus on “idontthinktheworldwantsmealone” is a good example of Miller experimenting with a little different of a vocal pattern and it pays off in spades. Her quick and snappy delivery makes this chorus an instant earworm.
The instrumentals are fairly barebones with a few exceptions (two of which are the harmonica sections on the opener “Stimuli” and “No Point.”). Most of these songs are just Miller and her instrument of choice, whether that be guitar or ukulele. She plays around with some layering to create an added texture but the stripped back instrumentation puts Miller herself on display, showcasing her superb songwriting and lyrical skills.
There are some happy songs, there are some sad songs, but the common thread is that they’re seen through the eyes of someone who is inquisitive and self-reflective to the point where the listener can’t help but relate.
To conclude, I’m having an incredibly hard time coming up with additional standout tracks. Not because there aren’t good tracks, but because this record is meant to be listened to as a cohesive whole. Miller’s storytelling and world building is top notch and this record is the perfect example of what a singer-songwriter should strive to achieve. She perfectly embodies the struggles and victories of young adult life and provides us with her version of what it means to be human. Give this record a listen and I guarantee you’ll shed a tear or ten just like I did.
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