Bloomington, Indiana trio Just Penelope’s debut single “June, July” is a sweaty, searing burst of grungy indie rock catharsis – a heavy-hitting introduction that distills youth, rebellion, and raw imperfection into a beautifully bruised blaze of noise.
Stream: “June, July” – Just Penelope
Sweaty, searing, and unapologetically raw, Just Penelope’s debut single “June, July” hits like a sunburn you can’t stop touching.
There’s an intimate heat to it – grungey but soft, sweltering yet strangely soothing – the kind of song that wraps you in warmth even as it scorches. “June, July, my shoes untied. I scraped my knee while you’re saving face,” frontwoman Ella Curiel sings, her voice teetering between resignation and rebellion.
It’s unfiltered, unrelenting, and completely unbothered by polish – a stunning first strike from a band ready to make some noise.
June, July
My shoes untied
I scraped my knee
While you’re saving face
My guitar out of tune
I told her about you
I did not care then
As I do now
Blue and white bed sheets,
Cross stitch repeat
The Bloomington, Indiana trio – Curiel, drummer/vocalist Ethan Cantrell, and bassist Drew Goforth – formed out of the Jacobs School of Music, and they sound like they’ve already outgrown the classroom.
“We felt it was unapologetically in your face, and we sort of like to be perceived that way,” they tell Atwood Magazine. That confidence radiates through every fuzzed-out riff and thundering drum hit, blurring the lines between indie rock and grunge with thrilling precision. It’s smoldering, reckless, and honest – a sound born in basement shows and blistering summer nights.
Co-produced by Curiel, Cantrell, and Nathan Allen, “June, July” was tracked with minimal mics and intentionally low fidelity, a choice that mirrors its lyrical ethos of chaos and consequence. “Sometimes, chaos has a certain swagger to it that makes you forget the consequences of your erratic actions,” Cantrell explains. “When recording this song, we committed every effect to the instruments on the way in with very few microphones and lower-fidelity techniques. The drums for example only had 3 mics. These choices reflect the meaning of this song, which involves making mistakes and not asking for forgiveness. We based a rather noisy and scrappy band of instruments around a simple drum machine and banjo part to also reflect that chaos.”
You can hear that swagger, that chaos, and that churn in every scrape and shiver of the track – in its walls of noise that collapse and reform, in Curiel’s voice as it strains against restraint. It’s a song that doesn’t just flirt with imperfection; it thrives in it.
The story behind “June, July” is as endearingly ordinary as it is iconic: Curiel got in a fight with her parents about going to a Wilco concert alone, went skateboarding instead, and came home with a scraped knee and a song. That teenage defiance bleeds into the music itself, turning frustration into catharsis, bruises into melody. When she sings about mistakes and not asking for forgiveness, it’s not a plea – it’s a declaration. “We wanted to be honest with ourselves that sometimes we do shitty things and we don’t always feel bad about it in the moment,” the band admits. “We felt it would be important to convey that honesty to our audience on our first single.”
If I had to pick one thing
It’s the lowball betting
Not the smell of my clothes
When they were on you
Blue and white bed sheets,
Cross stitch repeat
“June, July” captures the spirit of youth in all its messy glory: The freedom, the recklessness, the heat that makes you want to drive too fast with the windows down. Just Penelope take those fleeting moments of pain and release and turn them into something electric, unflinching, and strangely beautiful. Their debut doesn’t just mark the arrival of a new band – it feels like the start of a new era for indie and grunge alike.
“June, July” is a fever dream of youth and noise – unrefined, unforgettable, and alive with the kind of hunger that reminds you why music matters in the first place. It’s a bold, messy, striking first step for a band still shaping their voice, and one that hints at the honesty and instinct guiding their work. Atwood Magazine spoke with the burgeoning Bloomington trio about their debut single, the chaos and clarity guiding their nascent artistry, and what’s next for Just Penelope.
Stay tuned for more to come from our latest artist-to-watch, and get to know this unfiltered and unapologetic indie rock band in our interview below!
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:: stream/purchase June, July here ::
:: connect with Just Penelope here ::
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Stream: “June, July” – Just Penelope
A CONVERSATION WITH JUST PENELOPE
Atwood Magazine: Just Penelope, for those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?
Just Penelope: We’re an indie rock band based in Bloomington and we’re all obsessed with consuming music and how it’s made.
What inspired the name “Just Penelope”?
Just Penelope: We were joking around with adjectives to put in front of nouns at a local Mediterranean restaurant. Ella was obsessed with the idea of “Penelope.” Ethan said we can’t be just “Penelope.” That seemed to stick.
What inspired you to make “June, July” your debut single? I guess, what about this song do you feel encapsulates your band, or acts as your best-foot-forward?
Just Penelope: We felt it was unapologetically in your face and we sort of like to be perceived that way.
I absolutely love the blend of indie rock and grunge we hear on this song! Who are some of your musical inspirations, and what hits most for you in this song?
Just Penelope: At the time we were starting to challenge ideas that had come through in previous songs. A lot of the time we get really into a record and try to “steal” the parts we like most about them into our recordings, but on this song, we tried to challenge that process and embrace what makes us different.
What's the story behind your song ‘June, July’?
Just Penelope: Ella got in a fight with her parents over not being allowed to go a Wilco concert by herself, so she went skateboarding on her own as an act of rebellion and scraped her knee. She still has the scar. We love Wilco.
For me, June and July always have a certain… heat to them. The words evoke a kind of freedom that others months, and their names, do not – and I think the reasons for that are probably pretty obvious, given the way we “schedule” life in the US. What do June and July evoke for you?
Just Penelope: Freedom is always associated with the months June and July, especially for us since we’re students. It is easy to end up biting off more than we can chew during these months – life get busy and you’re so hot and sweaty by the time mid-July comes around, you’re just ready for it all to be over.
You’ve mentioned making mistakes and not asking for forgiveness as part of this song's deeper meaning; what is “June, July” about, and what is it about not asking for forgiveness that evokes something deeper for you?
Just Penelope: It’s easy to write self-deprecating songs, but we wanted to be honest with ourselves that sometimes we do shitty things and we don’t always feel bad about it in the moment. We felt it would be important to convey that honesty to our audience on our first single.
What do you hope listeners take away from your debut single, and what have you taken away from creating “June, July” and now putting it out?
Just Penelope: We hope listeners can feel immersed in the textures of the song whether or not they resonate with the lyrics. Personally, we learned how to take more risks in the recording process and that has made us excited about everything we’ve been recording since.
You’ve just released your second single, “Be Gentle.” What's this song about, and how does it capture another side to your band compared to your first track?
Just Penelope: “Be Gentle” takes everything we wanted to capture with ‘June, July’ and flips it on its head – the reality is we do have to face the consequences of our actions at some point. I guess instead of choosing the easy route, this song highlights the opposite direction.
Lastly, what's to come for Just Penelope? Can we expect more tunes as we head into the year's end?
Just Penelope: We’re playing shows all the time in Bloomington and adjacent areas, so we’d love for anyone to come by and say hello. We won’t be too specific, but there’s more songs to come this year and we’re really excited for everyone to hear it.
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:: stream/purchase June, July here ::
:: connect with Just Penelope here ::
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Stream: “June, July” – Just Penelope
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