James & June [LP] Vinyl Record

Franco-Belgian singer, songwriter, and producer Penelope Antena presents James & June, her third-full length album in collaboration with Brooklyn-based record label Youngbloods and Parisian imprint Parapente Music. Accessing the joy of newfound love, Penelope explores romance, intimacy, and the safety of partnership across eleven piano-driven compositions. James & June stands as Penelope's most personal work to date, calling on her shapeshifting, multidimensional production stylings to mold a collection of soulful hymns and warm electroacoustic musings. Penelope's previous solo releases, Antelope (KowTow Records, 2019) and Beamorose (Youngbloods, 2021), displayed her artistry beyond the shadow of her creative legacy, underlining her unique interest in experimentation and propelling her family's musical tradition into a modern era. The granddaughter of pianist and jazz-rock pioneer Marc Moulin (Placebo, Telex) and daughter of electro-samba icon Isabelle Powaga (Antena), Penelope's musicianship was deeply influenced by loved ones as they encouraged her to practice her craft and stand out from her peers.   James & June synchronizes the introspection and range of musical influence in Penelope's previous records while offering a newfound simplicity in it's composition. Biographically, this record is about falling in love; it follows Penelope processing the feelings of excitement, hopes, dreams, insecurities, and goals that come with being head over heels as an adult with an already full life. Penelope looks to explore a newly discovered corner of her life, searching for answers by collecting the butterflies in her stomach and bringing them into focus - a tender bullseye in the scope of her eighty-eight keyed weapon of creation.   Whether through the implicitness of her songwriting or the explicitness of her lyrics, there is a clarity in Penelope's work that suggests a new phase of her personal and artistic growth; one that rings true to herself, while making room for others to join her in creating harmony. More simply put, love is a most powerful muse.