JeJune: Re-released Music Brings New Life to 90s Emo

Written By Grace Horlings

JeJune brings emo back to its muddied roots, in a time when this label was less ironically cool and more of a scarring categorization. Born out of the Berklee School of Music in Boston, JeJune encapsulates the melancholic, confusing, and most exciting time of a young person’s life. “JeJune” means to be “empty” or “lacking substance”, an adolescent moody title that could only be brainstormed in the throes of post-secondary pretension. Their sound conjures up images of smart girls with guitars and faded, unbuttoned shirts that have become worn with every cycle they’ve spun in your parents’ washing machine. All of this noise is echoed through a crowded house show, where you spend the whole time waiting in line for the bathroom with a warm beer in your hand or hoping that guy from your cinema studies class will show up, things that will never come. JeJune feels classically fresh-faced, in a way that does not limit their skill, but enhances it, sharing a sound with other female fronted bands of this era like Everyone Asked About You and Rainer Marie.

Comprised of bassist/vocalist Araby Harrison, Joe Guevara on guitar/vocals and Chris Vanacore on the drums, the band was formed in an on campus practice space. JeJune released their first demo compilation, Junk in 1997, which they recorded in Boston under Big Wheel Recreation. This album is described by Harrison as “rough around the edges” (Zauderer, Allston Pudding) with a heavier punk influence that could be attributed to the band’s proximity to the hardcore scene. It still maintains the euphonious riffs and sullen vocals associated with early indie and emo. This resonance blossomed into a more refined sound on their 1998 album, This Afternoon Mlady. This record was created after the band spent a brief stint in San Diego, where Guevara is originally from. On the West Coast, they were unable to cultivate the same kind of reception within the scene or creativity within the band. This was made even more apparent when they returned to Boston to record the album. This Afternoon Mlady was met with mixed reviews from fans who were accustomed to the band’s original jagged sound. A song like “38 Calumet” is a more upbeat indie tune with light melodies and plonky chords, complemented by Harrison’s rich singing voice and harmonies. Whereas a song like “Regrets Are Unanswered Dreams” is a more quintessentially early emo song, starting off low and building up into a release of instrumental tension that comes crashing down with hard sound. These two songs show the range of JeJune, one that required their audience to view them as something more complex than their original demo sound on Junk. The sophistication of their sound came with the sophistication of their audience—understanding how music is transformed through the obstacles of life and the places you occupy.

The band eventually succumbed to their fracturing in the midst of recording their third album. This was later released as another demo compilation post-disbandment called R.I.P.

A recent uptick of relevancy arrived for JeJune just last year in 2025, when Big Wheel Recreation came into a partnership with Iodine Records. The group announced they would be issuing re-releases for a number of bands on the label. After a brief absence from streaming platforms, JeJune’s discography was redistributed by Numero Group. This was followed by the band’s first show in 25 years in San Diego. This resurgence and simultaneous revival of JeJune placed the band in front of a whole new category of listeners. Algorithm-influenced playlists and internet forums are aiding in the music being rediscovered by those who are currently experiencing the youth that birthed this music and those who are reminiscing on it. Reddit’s r/Emo has users of all walks expressing their newfound reverence for this band under posts announcing the album’s re-release.

JeJune’s returning presence is proof that the relevance of a band is not limited to their contemporaries. That an outpouring of love for a specific genre, sound, and subculture is reborn over and over with the advent of the internet. JeJune’s net will continue to grow long past their formation, termination, and revival as a band.