Closing the Distance with Juniper

(L to R) Ahren Shreeve, Scott Johnson and Alejandro Marín make up Juniper

Picture courtesy of @/hyly.bgnss on Instagram

Juniper, a Boston, MA trio, has been gaining traction throughout the past few years in the Boston music scene. After starting out performing in basements during college, the release of their debut album led them to have a sold out show in July at Cambridge’s infamous venue, The Sinclair. They have reached a million streams on their debut album Distance Keeps Me Distant, and recently met the milestone of 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. With multiple live performances lined up and new music in the works, Juniper is more than ready to take off in the music industry. 

Band members Scott Johnson, Ahren Shreeve, and Alejandro Marín met at Boston University and have been playing and making music together since 2017. The group first developed their local fanbase through playing at local venues and basement gigs. The variety of their sound is guaranteed to be one of their selling points, drawing influence from alternative rock, R&B, neo soul, folk, indie rock and bedroom pop. Their discography tells an array of stories with distinguishable moods, some being upbeat songs of admiration while others sound like a delicate journal entry. Throughout the past year and a half, the group has honed in on their unique characteristics as a band and grown.

The pandemic has proven to be a severe challenge for every individual experiencing it, and musicians have run into their own set of difficulties. Juniper made the executive decision that they would only see each other and their respective families to be able to work together in a safe environment. The pandemic also complicated the recording process of their debut album, leading them to record vocals and instrumentals in bathrooms or small spaces, and then sending this audio to a producer across the country in Los Angeles. In a positive light, the lack of live performances led the band to “focus on songwriting more so than usual,” mentions lead singer Scott Johnson, which shines through in each track on the album.

Distance Keeps Me Distant is a killer debut album that keeps you invested in its entirety. Each track has its own story and sound, but there is still an underlying cohesiveness to it. Some make you want to get up and dance, while others make you want to lay down on your bed and stare at the ceiling. It has the balance of emotions and sound that makes music so interesting to listen to, which is not easy to achieve. The group refrains from “placing themselves in a box,” as Johnson describes it, which is the culprit as to why there is a standout variety to the record. Not only are the guys happy with the album, but fans are pleased as well, turning out in impressive numbers for their post-album release shows.

In the past few months, the band has performed multiple shows in New York City and have had some great turnout outside of the Boston music scene. One of their shows was in the middle of the week and still had a great crowd. There is an energy loop sensation that Johnson explains as “when they're giving you energy, you're taking it and then giving it right back to them even more so,” which has made them so overjoyed to be performing live again. The band finds that their debut album is responsible for the turnout they’ve been experiencing, and they only hope it expands with the new tracks they are currently working on.

While recording new music, Juniper has been able to work in the same room with producers, which is a luxury they did not have while recording their first album. Johnson mentions they’ve found that there’s “a rhythm to the workflow” that they didn’t have during the pandemic. The band does not have any date set for new releases yet, as they are hoping for the album to reach an even larger audience in the months to come.