Rock/Interview Flowers for Juno - Dolphin Girl

Flowers for Juno are an artistic entity fronted by vocalist/producer Benjó James. They are typically referred to as a 'gothic' rock band and released their first single "Physical Culture" in December 2023. This single is FFJ's first release since the "Live at Tyne Green Golf Club" double A-side on April Fool's Day.

Thanks for joining us! Your new single “Dolphin Girl” feels like a unique addition to the Flowers for Juno catalog. What sparked the idea behind this track?

Something more upbeat and danceable than the morose darkwave I'm always being associated with. Darkwave? I'd rather be making drinkinginthesunwave.

You mentioned writing this after a night out in Newcastle at a goth club. How much did that experience shape the tone and identity of the song?

Everyone was wobbling awkwardly to Bauhaus and I was the only one on the dancefloor actually trying to have a good time. So I wrote a song with a funky bassline about hot girls in bikinis.

There’s an interesting tension between enjoying the music but not relating to the culture. Did “Dolphin Girl” come from that sense of disconnect?

Yeah it's a middle finger to that 'culture' if anything.

Sonically, this release blends gothic rock, synth pop, shoegaze, and darkwave. Do you approach genre consciously, or does it just naturally happen during the process?

Not really, it's more of a funk oriented dance-rock track, but I didn't plan it that way.

The tracklist alongside “Dolphin Girl” includes “Lipstick and Furs (Arbitrary Cash-in Edit)” and “Lucozade and Vodka” — how do these songs connect thematically, if at all?

"Lipstick..." is a longer and more serene in nature. "Lucozade..." expands upon the funk and RnB themes I've introduced in "Dolphin Girl".

You’ve said before you don’t fully know what genre FFJ fits into. Does that uncertainty feel freeing or frustrating as an artist?

I get associated with genres I've never identified with, which is bemusing, yet I never have a 'scene' to be part of; although in all honesty I don't know if I'd want to be.

There’s often a contrast in your work between heavy atmosphere and more playful or observational lyricism. Where does “Dolphin Girl” sit on that spectrum?

Yeah I'd say that's typical of my releases right now; they might be informed by 'goth' musically (whatever that means), but lyrically I just improvise lyrics about girls and partying.

You wrote and recorded this between a hangover and a bar shift — does that kind of raw, in-the-moment creation define this era of Flowers for Juno?

Yes, that's fair to say. I'd rather release something in-the-moment regardless of quality than someone overthought and inauthentic.

Compared to your earlier releases like “Physical Culture”, how do you think your sound or mindset has evolved leading into this single?

For good or for ill, I've stopped thinking and I just write, record, and release whatever that week.

Finally, what should listeners expect when they press play on “Dolphin Girl” — and what do you hope they take away from it?

The experience is all theirs.