Description
South London's gem, imbued with raw emotion and a resilient spirit.
Joy Crookes made a striking debut, carrying the rich culture of South London with her. Boasting a glittering track record of Mercury Prize and BRIT Award nominations and a Top 5 debut on the UK charts, she has now arrived with this album, possessing a depth and dynamism that far surpass her previous work, Skin.
The album title Juniper is derived from the evergreen tree that survives even in harsh environments. She writes of her mental health, queer love, industry deception, and the joy and fear of falling in love, all in unvarnished words, depicting them with cinematic scale. The production team includes Blue May, who worked with Jorja Smith, Tev’n, who supports Stormzy, and a lineup of distinguished guests including Vince Staples and Kano, who added even more intensity to her story.
From the vibrant energy of Euro-pop with sparkling synths to dry Western-style guitars and grand strings, the soundscape is truly multi-layered. What emanates from the vinyl surface is the sharp attack of meticulously polished percussion and vocals so vivid they make the air vibrate. Rich basslines and dramatic orchestration intersect, creating a deep, three-dimensional sonic space between the speakers.
A1. Brave
A2. Pass The Salt (feat Vince Staples)
A3. Carmen
A4. Perfect Crime
A5. Mathematics (feat Kano)
A6. House With A Pool
B1. I Know You'd Kill
B2. First Last Dance
B3. Mother
B4. Somebody To You
B5. Forever
B6. Paris
South London singer, songwriter and cultural powerhouse Joy Crookes has today unveiled the news that her worth-the-wait second album Juniper will be released on September 26th ahead of a full UK & EU headline tour.
A stunningly candid and fearless body of work, the album reaffirms Joy as one of the UK’s most vital and original voices. A once-in-a-generation talent, Crookes delivers a record that is both emotionally raw and sonically rich; humorous, heartbreaking and profoundly human.
Following the success of her 2021 debut Skin, which earned BRIT and Mercury Prize nominations, went Top 5 in the UK charts, and drew acclaim from The Guardian, NME and many more, Joy set out to make an album that pushed her further both musically and personally.
Juniper is the result: a project defined by its depth and dynamism.
Written with a stripped-back approach and produced by long-time collaborators including Blue May (Kano, Jorja Smith), Tev’n (Stormzy) and Harvey Grant (Arlo Parks),
Juniper features standout guest appearances from Vince Staples on the incendiary ‘Pass The Salt’ and Kano on the bittersweet confessional ‘Mathematics’.
Crookes describes the record as “more nuanced” than Skin: “With Juniper, every situation is visceral and I’m very much in it. It’s me in the centre of it all.”
The title itself nods to resilience (an evergreen that thrives in harsh conditions) and the album dives deep into themes of body politics, mental health, queer love, anxiety, industry hypocrisy and the ecstasy (and terror) of falling in love.
Lead singles like ‘Pass The Salt’ and ‘I Know You’d Kill’ showcase Crookes’ lyrical agility – blending poetic detail with razor-sharp wit. Meanwhile, the euro-pop inspired ‘First Last Dance’ channels euphoric melodies to mask deep emotional struggle, and the cinematic ‘Perfect Crime’ sees Joy fully self-actualise in the style of a Western showdown.
On ‘Paris’, the closing track, Joy reflects on a formative queer relationship: “Something I feared so much finally, actually felt like love.” It’s a sentiment echoed across Juniper – a record that captures the beauty and brutality of emotional openness.
