Glenna Jane Serves Up Sapphic Yearning And More In New Single “Juno”
Written by Daphne Bryant
All images courtesy of Ciara Collier
Falling in love with your best friend: it’s a canon WLW event, and Glenna Jane’s new single“ Juno” captures the sapphic phenomenon perfectly. If you’re unfamiliar with Glenna Jane and her work, allow me to introduce you to your new favorite artist, an NYC based singer-songwriter whose music feels straight out of a coming of age film.
Today Glenna Jane released“ Juno”, the ultimate baby gay anthem and a certified alt indie pop banger. Halfway through listening, as a fuzzy feeling settled inside my stomach, I added the song to my April playlist. There was just something about“ Juno”, and Jane, that drew me in.
“ Juno” starts off pretty mellow, with a steady, laid-back beat and soft vocals. Glenna Jane begins to describe the dynamic between her and a friend that she’s beginning to fall for, a familiar narrative that is also so personal:“ We share earbuds on the bus ride home / Talking indie sleaze, touching knees.”
The next lyric,“ I’m a beginner / I’ll confuse a moment for forever”, could mean a lot of things. It could be the narrator’s first crush, or a queer awakening, or both.As the pre-chorus settles in, hip-hop style record scratches bring color to the instrumental and aid in throwing the listener back in time, to this moment of reflection.
As far as choruses go,“ Juno” has a pretty great one. The drums kick up and Glenna Jane openly confesses her desire for a romance with said friend:“ I want to kiss you again and again and again / But we’re just friends.” While the narrator recognizes her reality, she can’t help but fight those hopeless romantic tendencies.“ Juno” is incredibly relatable and makes me feel a little less shitty about all the friends I’ve had feelings for.
Right before the next verse, the music takes on a country twang. It became clear to me then that Glenna Jane is not your ordinary artist; she doesn’t shy away from genre experimentation in her music and keeps listeners on their toes.
The bridge escalates the story, as an echoed chorus joins Glenna Jane in singing“ If we play pretend, we can be more than friends.” The lyric repeats itself, reiterating the narrator’s yearning and the way that this friend and the possibility of something more consumes her thoughts, which is so clever. Not to mention the usage of“ play pretend”, which is something that many young queer people can remember doing with their friends as a way of experimenting and learning more about their queer identity. It’s all just so raw and real beautiful.
Glenna Jane hits us with some gorgeous runs as the song winds down, and immediately after the song was over I rewinded and played it again.
What stands out about Glenna Jane is her candid and nostalgic storytelling, the diaristic way she paints intimate scenes of first loves and first heartbreaks. Even the cover art for“ Juno” is fitting, as the polaroid style evokes strong memories. As someone who runs a publication all about girlhood and the idea of growing up, I couldn’t think of a better artist to highlight.“ Juno” is the kind of song that reminds me of being a kid, and the kind of song that could be a classic years from now. I can easily see myself sending it to a girl I like, playing it at a picnic with my friends, blasting it in my headphones as I longingly look out the window and pretend I’m the main character in some romcom, and so on.
Deliciously reminiscent and equally heartbreaking as it is innocent,“ Juno” is the perfect way to spring into summer.
