tunesday – first times, last times with juice webster

The evolution of a musician is a funny thing to watch. Or, perhaps, hear. After her debut collection of sonic gems – Julia – Juice Webster is backing it all up with her new album, Kind of Fantasy, due to hit our eardrums this October 30th. We caught up with Juice to chat about that evolution – as well as all of her most meaningful first times and last times. Plus, keep an eye out for when Juice goes on tour this November!

Tell us about the first song you finished for your new album Kind of Fantasy. The first song I finished for Kind of Fantasy was “Keep Warm”. I wrote this song a really long time ago, right after I put my first album out in 2023. I think I actually played it at the launch show for my first album because I loved it and was excited to share it. It was one of those songs that just fell out of me and while I wasn’t quite in the right frame of mind at that point to be thinking about a whole new album, I was really attached to it and knew it would be on the next thing.

What is the last album you’ve been obsessed with? The last album I’ve been obsessed with is Who’s the Clown? by Audrey Hobert. It’s been a long time since I’ve rinsed an album like this, and it still gets better with every listen. The songwriting is so clever and the production is perfect. Sometimes when songs are so solid they can be hard to produce because they don’t actually need much around them, and the choices you make have to be so intentional. I think the balance struck on this record is pretty perfect.

What was the first thing you did once you finished your album? The first thing I did after I got my finished masters back was listen to the full thing top to bottom on a walk at dusk. It’s a nice ritual. You spend so much time listening to the songs in all different iterations when you’re making them, and you very quickly lose any sense of objectivity. This album took me a while to make, so taking some alone time to soak it all in felt like a necessary step. Then we went to the pub for a cheers, of course.

When was the last time you did something creative that wasn’t music? My go-to creative outlet away from music is sewing. I really like making things with my hands, but I’m truthfully not very good and I definitely don’t do it as much as I would like to. There are usually a few days in summer, when things slow down a bit, where I go to the fabric shop and make some pants or a bag or a dress. Everything I make is usually a bit wonky and far from perfect, but I just enjoy the process. I would like to put a bit more time into it and try and get better though. Maybe that’s a project for next year.

What is the first thing you learnt about yourself while making this album? Writing this album helped me put words to a lot of feelings that I’d been experiencing for a while. That’s what songwriting is for in many ways. I learnt that the disconnection I was feeling was coming from me not living in a way that was authentic, but actually quite dishonest. Once I had that realisation I felt like the meaning of the whole album fell into place and what I was trying to say with each song became clearer.

What is the last thing you do before you step onto a stage to play a show? I don’t have any strict rituals before playing a show, but I do like to make sure we take a moment together as a band to get on the same wavelength and into each other’s orbit before we play. Usually this just looks like a quick huddle side stage before we walk on.

Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for Juice Webster’s Kind of Fantasy over here. For more ace music chats, have a squiz at our chinwag with rad rocker Maia Toakley or take a gander at Babyccino’s perfect playlist. Plus, sign up to our newsletter to stay in the music loop.