Juho & the Jellyfish from Jupiter - Quarantine Diaries, Chapter I

The influences of Juho & the Jellyfish from Jupiter on Quarantine Diaries, Chapter I were clear as day. Released on June 30th, 2021, the album was clearly heavily inspired by artists such as Bon Jovi and David Bowie, with the vocals of Lazy Eyelids and other similar emo acts.

Thankfully, the album was brave enough to experiment with genres to make it an engaging listen. Song for Myself dabbled quite well in prog-rock territory, though its vocals didn’t match it as well as the opener. Unfortunately, the first half of the album was quite poor, and not as strong as the second half. The album truly picks up with Waiting for the Rain (in This Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland), which gorgeously built its tension throughout before its sublime release. Boys Don’t Cry was also a nice surprise, and thankfully not a Cure cover. The final song, Not Dead Yet (What I'm Doing Here?), was a fine closer; the inclusion of electronica made for a memorable soundscape.

Despite some odd vocal delivery choices, the instrumentals were all fire. The percussion was precise, as was the guitar work. Unfortunately, the post-punk elements were derived from familiar territory; each composition mostly relied on its aesthetic to carry the song, which was sadly uninventive. A great artist is one that borrows elements from their influences; not one that simply steals. There are some excellent moments where the artist let the instruments reign supreme, though; such as the ending of Song for Myself. More moments like this will help Juho standout in future releases. Until then, it’s definitely worth checking out the second half of Quarantine Diaries, Chapter I.

Above Average

Listen to it here:

https://thejellyfishfromjupiter.bandcamp.com/album/quarantine-diaries-chapter-i

Juho & the Jellyfish from Jupiter - Quarantine Diaries, Chapter I