What does Mia June sound like?

Understated indie folk music that hides gut-punch lyrics in delicate music.

The review of ‘Brain Like Computer’ by Mia June

Australia and New Zealand have a habit of producing singer-songwriters that create some of the best acoustic rock music in recent years. Perth-based Mia June uses her clean, honest voice to sound like a lonely girl in a large room. Her production style usually pitches her as separate from the rest of the music – either intimately or like she’s desperately calling for attention. The loneliness sells Mia June’s mood beautifully.

Piano-based ‘Forever’ is a great example of Mia’s clean, isolated vocals as they tower over the piano and shivering background strings. Mia reminds me of Julia Marcell, in that the piano and vocals are clean and both are happy to bellow and over annunciate their vowels for musical punches. ‘Rewire Me’ is far bolder in design and sound palette. Bringing guitars, plucked cello and brushed drums to create a dreamy, Mia creates a floating indie barn waltz. At the end of every other verse line, the melody slips down the octaves as if everything is sliding into oblivion and it reminds me slightly of the doom that Nina Nastasia brings. Then from out of nowhere thrashing guitars and smashing drums explode for a few seconds as if the song is trying to rewire my brain with blasts of noise. It is an inventive and fun track to enjoy.

‘Tethered’ is a moody, curious, and brooding ballad of intimate piano and electric guitar curls making a nest for Mia’s voice and lyrics. The song is a desperately emotional plea to let Mia in beyond the walls people put up. “If your walls don’t crumble soon I fear I’ll be outside forever” opens the song, as Mia wonders whether she should stay at all. Timeless and affecting, it is an excellent closer. I’ve left the opening title track to the end as it is a soothing, ambient vocoder-layered piece with distant drum crashes and thin synths. It is a pretty track but doesn’t quite reach the peaks of the other trio.

Indie rock and slowcore fans will enjoy Mia June’s world a lot. As she expands her sound and instrumentation further, she continues to write and perform understated songs of emotional devastation. Sometimes the softest punches are the hardest to take and Mia June’s EP is a prime example of that.

Recommended track: Tethered

Support Higher Plain Music

Higher Plain Music is part of the Higher Plain Network – a one-man indie media project. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. In return, you’ll receive additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and free downloads. You can also donate using PayPal. Sharing the website helps too or using the affiliate buy now links on reviews. I receive a few pence per Amazon sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. I’d love to make this a full-time media network and your support can make that happen. Thank you.