Indie-electro outfit Junior Boys last played in the Magic City during Winter Music Conference 2007 at Poplife's awkward temporary venue, Post, a restaurant/lounge located on the edge of Brickell. The duo was no stranger to the city's hipsterati set; Junior Boys had easily found success at the height of the blog-house era with the track "In the Morning," a glitchy, hook-laden production that seemed both sweet and aggressive. Accompanied by a promo video that was heavy on special effects, the song's success via the Internet was assured.
With the release of 2009's Begone Dull Care, Junior Boys have embarked once again on a North American tour that surprisingly brings them south of Atlanta to the Vagabond. The new album isn't much of a departure from their debut, Last Exit, but it's definitely a step forward. The sound is still cool and elegant, but the boys have incorporated funkier beats. Tracks such as "Bits & Pieces" and "Sneak a Picture" could fit neatly in Prince's catalogue, while "Parallel Lines" features an industrial-like stomp that keeps its sex appeal.
With their tour dates being close to Halloween, Junior Boys decided to inject a bit of playful fun into the performances. Fans are encouraged to come dressed in costume and compete for CDs and T-shirts.
"Part of being a young Jewish kid, to me, was directing all of your excitement that should've been for Christmas towards Halloween," says Jeremy Greenspan, half of Junior Boys. "When it came about that we would be touring around the release of our single called 'Bits & Pieces' during October, all sorts of Halloween fantasies started churning up in my mind. So although we couldn't quite afford full-on GWAR-style theatrics, we are hoping that people come to the shows in a Halloween kind of mindset (and attire), and help us ring in Samhain all month long."
With German DJ/production duo Modeselektor tapped to give "Bit & Pieces" an extra boost of electro, it's pretty much guaranteed Junior Boys will be burning up dance floors across the globe well beyond 2009.