"Rest Stop" is a song off of Junior High's second record Taste Judge, released on September 27, 2016. Purchase the album digitally, on limited edition compact disc, and instrumental versions on cassette through Flannelgraph Records.

Taste Judge was created over four sweet years by Michael Deakers and Josh Ottum. Elijah Thomson played some bass and Frank Lenz hit some drums.
It was mixed by Yuuki Matthews and the memphis-milano inspired art came through the brain of RJ Phillips.

Taste Judge

Rest Stop

"The Next Generation" is a song off of Junior High's second record Taste Judge, released on September 27, 2016. Purchase the album digitally, on limited edition compact disc, and instrumental versions on cassette through Flannelgraph Records.

Taste Judge was created over four sweet years by Michael Deakers and Josh Ottum. Elijah Thomson played some bass and Frank Lenz hit some drums.
It was mixed by Yuuki Matthews and the memphis-milano inspired art came through the brain of RJ Phillips.

The Next Generation

this song is by Boy Meets Girl. we're excited about it. here's the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB8txXS2PFs

Waiting For A Star To Fall

this is a song by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello. The Pointer Sisters made this song famous on their masterful album Break Out. The song was mis-translated by the Russian press as "Neutron Bomb." The year was 1985 and we were at the height of the Cold War. The Russian government found out Willis was coming to the country for a conference and quickly refused her entry. 

Junior High is covering this song as a tribute to Willis' creative impulse (she went on to compose the theme for Friends, "Boogie Wonderland" by EWF, and "What Have I Done to Deserve This" by the Pet Shop Boys. Junior High is also enamored with June, Bonnie, and Anita Pointer; three women who helped define the sound of a generation and inspire people to feel international happiness. Finally, this cover is a tribute to peace, the end of the cold war, and the future of our fragile world. May this song stand as an artistic representation of what it means to embrace a sense of community on both micro and macro levels. JH forever.

Neutron Dance

"My Number One" went through multiple incarnations.... Here's one of our fav's.

My number one (early instrumental)

In the fall of 2010 Michael Deakers and Josh Ottum met up for beers and burritos in the small beach town of Leucadia, California. Under the spell of the breezy Pacific Ocean air and memories of an idyllic San Diego upbringing, they headed to Michael’s house and wrote a song called “D.O.P.E.”. They both listened to it 50 times each day for the next week and both recognized they had come across something special. Over the next few months the two musicians feverishly wrote and produced what would become Junior High, their self-titled debut. Junior High celebrates the sounds and emotions that are inextricably linked with the emergence of the synthesizer, the warmth and nostalgia of a pastel-colored windbreaker, sailboats, and the unapologetic lyrical positivity of the 1980′s.

Both Deakers and Ottum grew up in the 80′s with older sisters who directly and indirectly exposed them to the beautiful collision of athletic sentimentality, relentless grooves, and the technological innovations of a digital age. Whitney Houston, The Pointer Sisters, Prince, the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack…these are just a few of the cassettes that have been worn out by the members of Junior High. Not content to pretend they’re living in the past, the group’s songs embrace a number of influences from different periods in history. “My Number One” features a Roy Orbison-esque post-chorus; the epic “Shufflin’ The Cards” is reminiscent of Steely Dan and M.I.A.; and the anthemic and undeniably catchy single “PSA” has nods to Michael Jackson and soundtrack composers Harold Faltermeyer and Giorgio Moroder. In an age thick with irony and emotional distance, Junior High is a sincere, catchy, and highly danceable breath of fresh air. This is music made by instinct. And these instincts say, “Pretend you are 13 and you’re alone in your bedroom dancing in front of the mirror!”

Prior to Junior High, both Deakers and Ottum have been active with careers of their own. Deakers’ work as a producer has led to several remix collaborations as well as work for TV and film. Ottum has released two solo albums on Germany’s Tapete Records, completed several tours of the U.S. and Europe, and has had music featured on Mad Men, NPR, MTV. While the bulk of Junior High was created by the two musicians in an uncommonly productive period of writing and recording, the album also features some choice contributions by Los Angeles musicians John Wood (The Black Keys, Sebastian Tellier) and Frank Lenz (Richard Swift, Jesca Hoop). Armed with a double keyboard stand, two guitars, a drummer, and a shiny black keytar, Junior High are playing a few select shows in the Southern California area before embarking on a European tour in the winter of 2012.

Junior High Music

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