Start Listening To: Beguiling Junior
Between sardonic humour and existential chaos, Beguiling Junior treat rock music like a polite argument with reality.
Beguiling Junior’s Oli and Kaya have carved out a strange, swaggering corner of London’s rock scene. Their debut, AI on Cocaine, turns overstimulation and absurdity into something uncomfortably human. Produced by Spiritualized’s J Spaceman, the record captures a band figuring things out on stage and refusing to sand down the rough edges. In conversation, they’re sharp, self-effacing and just the right amount of unhinged.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We’re Beguiling Junior, a band made up of Oli and Kaya. We met in a dive bar. The music sits somewhere between classic rock and sociable collapse
Where did the name Beguiling Junior come from?
It came out of a conversation about the name of blues singers we like, ie Junior Kimbrough.
“Beguiling” felt like a word that was nice and slippery, and “Junior” makes it sound like a hand-me-down.
What inspired the title “AI on Cocaine,” and how does it reflect the themes or emotions in your music?
“AI on Cocaine” came from spending too much time in rooms where conversation felt generated by the same algorithm. It’s about overstimulation, politeness, and what happens when everyone’s talking but no one’s listening. The song laughs while quietly panicking.
Can you share some details about the creative process behind your debut album?
We wrote the album largely on stage by booking a lot of venues in London last winter and doing “workshops”, we wanted to figure out the songs in front of our audience and friends to see where they giggled, what tempo the songs worked best in etcetera.
How was the album produced?
The record was produced by J Spaceman of Spiritualized and recorded by Laurie Erskine
We spent a week trying to find “the one” take on take on take. Added some tasty bits and got the record mixed by Elliot Heinrich
What was the most challenging aspect for you?
Maintaining the stamina it takes to finish something.
How did your previous experiences in Yak influence the sound and direction of Beguiling Junior?
I don’t believe it did.
Visual storytelling seems important in your work. How did you collaborate with Ben Crook to bring your vision to life in the video?
Ben understood immediately the idea of having two voyeurs never revealing each other. It was a simple concept but a lot of fun!
With your upcoming London shows, what can fans expect in terms of setlist and overall experience?
We will play our record! Old audience members can expect a new song about Goths In The Sun
What themes or concepts do you find yourself gravitating towards when writing lyrics, and how do they evolve during the process?
We gravitate towards domesticity. “Cuckoo” is kind of a meta-commentary on the band itself. It’s written from the perspective of a jaded listener who dismisses the band “Honestly, this kind of guys do nothing for me… it’s not my cup of tea.” We often work the ordinary, writing lyrics that sound like small talk, songs about hardwood floors, or about being someone’s (Pavlovian) dog. A way of testing how far you can push something mundane before it starts to mean something else?
What do you love right now?
The sound of things that aren’t compressed.
What do you hate right now?
The term Post truth
When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?
Imagines of domestic bliss on a remote island …
