Just Penelope Present "Copenhagen," From 'Great Lake' EP out Friday via Angel Tapes / Fire Talk
This Friday, Just Penelope — the Bloomington, Indiana quartet of Ella Curiel (guitar/vocals), Ethan Cantrell (percussion/synth/vocals), Theo Erz (guitar), and Drew Goforth (bass) — will release their debut EP, Great Lake, via Angel Tapes / Fire Talk. Today, they unveil its transportive final single/video, “Copenhagen.” Beginning with sparse guitar and evocative lyrics (“She has to be the one // grab a knife, grab a gun”), “Copenhagen” is an explosive track that distills Just Penelope’s knack for cathartic indie rock. Hailing from Bloomington, Indiana, Just Penelope exist ina long line of twinkling and emotional grunge. Guitars wail, drums pummel, and “I’m off to Copenhagen.”
“Copenhagen” is presented alongside a music video directed and edited by Keegan Priest, and produced by Isaac Sanchez. It continues along a series of striking visual accompaniments that reflect Just Penelope’s hazy and shapeshifting visual identity. Of “Copenhagen,” Just Penelope add: “'Copenhagen’ expresses a collage of intensifying pain that comes with meeting your own expectations. We made the video to reflect the mental ensemble set in motion when desire moves beyond arm’s length.”
Watch Just Penelope's "Copenhagen"
Past the east side of Bloomington, the hum of Indiana’s largest college town dies down, tulip trees multiply, and a deaf dog perches next to Just Penelope’s drum kit. The change in scenery sets the backdrop for the young quartet to release reality — assignments, exams, part-time jobs — and zero in their debut EP Great Lake. Just Penelope recorded Great Lake across three days here: a cabin-esque home-studio cherished for its unassumingly high-fidelity capabilities. “It’s one of those places that feels like it should be further away than you actually are,” Curiel says of the transportive space just outside of their hometown of Bloomington.
The self-produced Great Lake EP spans cathartic indie and grunge, forming an assured opening statement that could only emerge from the midwest. Themes of vulnerability reoccur, but Just Penelope regularly resist the urge to catastrophize a situation, pushing back on the idea that any one setback should be taken too seriously. Just Penelope’s lyrics often operate in abstract vignettes, allowing the emotional instrumentation to lead their charge. “The lyrics and melodies are always one in one with the guitar,” Curiel says of Great Lake’s affective compositions. They cite bands like Modest Mouse, Interpol, and Deerhunter among their guiding influences, always returning to the texture of each band’s recordings. “It’s hugely important to us,” Curiel insists, “not just how good a part is, but how we can use a microphone to record it and get a cool sound out of the instrument. How can we blend everything in a beautiful way?” Their technical curiosity results in production that allows the emotional weight of each moment to thrive.
Just Penelope bridge adolescent emotions with a finely-honed palette that soars above and beyond Lake Superior. While they’re still a young band, Great Lake captures the ineffable electricity of tapping something new and exciting. It is the sound of Just Penelope finding their voice in real time. “This band has helped me learn how to be loud in a controlled and emotional way,” Cantrell says, continuing: “We really found a way to lock in with one another.”
