Life is messy, chaotic; some choose to wallow in it, others run from it. But Charlotte-based artist and producer JUNE! is different, skillful with his approach. Their music doesn’t just navigate pessimism; it thrives in the state of defeatism, turning pain and frustration into electric artworks that are as introspective as they are unrelenting towards changing the status quo.
On his latest ambitious album, What ALife 2, JUNE! crafts a sonic landscape unbound by genre. They often employs a macabre, horrorcore dynamism, as heard in the album opener “GIVE ME PEACE,” where eerie, atmospheric production creates a haunting mood. The album blends melancholic melodies and shadowy textures to build an intense and graphic sound—equal parts gloom and grit. Not just a personal statement but a collaborative project, What A Life 2 features a wide range of voices and perspectives, adding depth and nuance to their sonic journey.
A continuation of his 2023 album What a Life, this project paints JUNE!’s malaise with life—emotions, much like storms, inevitably return, sometimes even stronger than before. Their production reflects this cyclical anguish, channeling restless energy into intricate soundscapes pulsing with raw emotion. On the minor-key track “CYCLES,” the beats and swirling synths enhance the feeling of entrapment, complementing alternative hip-hop artist seaven’s lyrics: “Stuck in a circle like my laundry spinning.” Yet, despite the dispirited undertones, there’s an infinite fervor for life: “What a life, I’ll do it twice so they know I’m not kidding.” His production choices mirror this contradiction—often switching between heavy, ominous sounds and lighter, almost hopeful instrumentation, achieved through airy, uplifting synths, subtle chord progressions, and delicate percussion, reinforcing the album’s push-and-pull between despair and perseverance.
If you thought this was just going to be an endless sequence of doleful fussing, you’re in for a surprise. JUNE! embodies the quandary: “Yes, life is awful, maybe unfair—so what?” Their response isn’t to settle but to press on relentlessly. This comes through in the spine-tingling “CARGO,” where pulsating drums and stark instrumentals transform frustration into momentum. The conviction behind the beats mirrors the theme of perseverance, pushing forward even when the world feels suffocating. Similarly, “EBB & FLOW” features a gritty ambiance, where the production shifts to give way to light, a testament to survival.
A producer’s role is to set the emotional tone of a song, and JUNE! excels in this. Hyper-aware of the vulnerability in violent East Side hoods, “SO LONG SAMURAI” offers a piano-layered number describing the dicey nature of mortality, with the usual moments of respite as New Bedford, Massachusetts rapper and producer Chow brings lines like, “I know if we continue to fight, things will be alright.” Despite the weighty themes, moments of solace also emerge through subtle shifts in instrumentation, as if to remind listeners survival is still possible. This is his superpower: how they embody a scepter of hope for an apocalyptic, dread-heavy generation.
The album’s collaborative nature is another striking feature. Rather than positioning himself as the central voice, JUNE! enlists a host of artists, making What A Life 2 a mosaic of perspectives. Tracks like “A.G.S.O.M.” showcase this synergy the strongest, with Bronx rapper RAINEY delivering one of the smoothest flows on the album. The song becomes a sonic equivalent of a sleek, cinematic, neon-lit noir underworld—immersive and sirening, even without ground-shaking 808s or heavy snares. The presence of multiple voices throughout the album suggests a deliberate choice: perhaps JUNE! sees his work as a platform for shared storytelling, allowing for different outlooks to intersect to offer a nuanced understanding of the emotional, cultural, and sonic landscape explored in the project.
Still, the most striking quality of What A Life 2 is its refusal to sugarcoat harsh realities. The album blends brooding textures with bursts of kinetic energy, pairing shadowy moments with exotic, percussive beats and flashes of poignant realizations. JUNE! tells a story not just through words, but through sound, transforming desperation into motivation. Their ability to use production as a narrative device—allowing beats, synths, and percussive choices to express as much as the lyrics themselves—cements his reputation as more than just a rapper but a visionary producer. His unflinching vision proves that while life may be storm after storm, it’s also an undeniable masterpiece waiting to be created.
