Women of Rock: Post-Rockers JUNODEF List Five of England’s Raddest Female Artists

Our ongoing Women of Rock series pays homage to totally bad-ass women with a penchant for all forms of music. Sometimes, these very females flip the script and instead tell US who to check out. In this episode, Swedish post-rock quartet Junodef present a killer list of five must-hear English artists. Originally from Lund, Junodef racked up accolades and fans in Malmö’s underground scene, resulting in their relocation to London.

Following their Oceans debut in 2017, Junodef continue to push their music’s boundaries and most recently released the single “Gold”, the video for which features Swedish actress Amalia Holm Bjelke. Even more relevant is the fact that the video’s production team was all-female!

Junodef’s 2017 album, Ocean, released on May 20th.

01. Esya (London, UK)
Genres: Electronic
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– Ayşe Hassan (from Savages and Kite Base) just released a single and video a couple of weeks ago under the name Esya, which is her new solo project. The controlled chaos and monotone, almost techno-like influences are really mesmerising.

Watch Esya’s new “Lost” video now!

02. Jennifer Walton (Newcastle upon Tyne, England)
Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Ambient, Noise
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– A couple of nights ago my roommate dragged me out of bed to come see this amazing artist playing an intense electronic set in a basement in Peckham. It was just a totally mind-blowing experience, and I had so many “what the fuck is going on”-moments during the night. Really looking forward to seeing her live again, maybe when I’m a bit more prepared, haha.

Sample Jennifer Walton’s music with the song “SHY”.

03. Big Joanie (London, UK)
Genres: Lo-fi, Riot Grrrl, Afro Punk
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– Big Joanie was one of those bands we heard about straight away when we moved to London. They started as a First Timer’s band at DIY Space For London which is one of the best events in London for sure. First time I saw them was years later at a Loud Women event in Camden and their performance was totally magical. Their way of approaching music and songwriting was so straightforward and really refreshing and inspiring.

Straighten our your muiscal tastes with a stream of “Crooked Room“.

04. Lo Barnes (London, UK)
Genres: Alternative, Pop, d.i.y., Indie, Lo-fi
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– We saw her and her band at the two-year birthday celebration of our rehearsal space and we all fell in love with the mellow sound. Her music is perfectly balanced between dreamy and focused with clean to-the-point arrangements.

I exhale heavily then let Lo Barnes’ music “Fill My Lungs”.

05. Biig Piig (London, UK)
Genres: R&B, Soul
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– This is one of those artists you always want to listen to. She recently released her first EP and it’s really chill and laidback. She’s also part of a bigger collective called NiNE8 based in London which is definitely worth checking out as well.

Check the “Big Fan Of the Sesh Vol.1” video clip here.

A devoted group with a tremendous future, we love and admire the members of Junodef’s desire to further their fellow females’ causes, noting of their latest “Gold” video:

“as women we know the importance of recognising each other’s work. In the music industry you actively have to search for women to cooperate with, or you are most likely to end up with a cis-male dominated team. That is why this project was run entirely by women. The music, script, and screenplay were written by women, and it was directed by, shot and edited by women.”

Watch the “Gold” that is Junodef’s latest music video.