Interview with Jeune, the Texas Indie/Alternative rock band you need to know.  

One of the exciting new Texas bands you need to know about is the immersive and delightfully versatile indie rock outfit Jeune. The Lubbock-based outfit (consisting of Layla Barnes, Matt Hernandez, Michal Lambert, Carlos Rodriguez and Michael Olivarez) recently returned with their new single Memory, a real testament to their talent and their ability to create captivating indie songs. With electric guitars as its backbone and front woman Layla Barnes soft emotive vocals effortlessly weaving through the melody, make no mistake this is a really cool band. Besides the new track Memory, their rousing song Park In The Ocean for instance is exactly the creative swing a new listener should desire.    

While Jeune continues to flex their creative muscles working towards their first album, I had the pleasure to chat with the band’s lead vocalist Layla Barnes and guitarist/drummer Matt Hernandez. Here is some of what we talked about. 

How did you all meet? How did you first get into making your own music? 

Matt: Facebook! Ha! I posted in a local musicians group that I was searching for a vocalist for a new project. At the time I was open to male or female vocalists/songwriters and Layla happened to be one of the responses out of a few that I received. I sent her a few samples of the songs I had then and she liked the sound so we arranged a meetup! That was Feb. of 2020. A few months later we would release our first song “Oddball” in July of 2020. Over the years as we continued writing we’ve added members to begin performing the songs in a live setting. 

Which artists first made a lasting impression on you?

Layla: There are so many artists! I am so eclectic when it comes to music. I love all genres but I would say; Counting Crows, Alice in Chains and Tool. I was just amazed at all of their music when I first heard it as a kid. 

Matt: I grew up listening to anything from radio music with my mom to ‘NOW!’ compilation CD’s, so I was a bit all over the place. If I had to name a few that stuck with me from early on, I would say Prince, System of a Down and Pantera!

How might you describe your music to someone wondering what Jeune is all about?

Layla: I think Jeune is and always will be a collection of lots of crazy ideas that we convey through song. There has never been one set sound we are going for so that is why it is hard to label who or what we sound like. We’re just Jeune! 

Matt: I like to think our music is an expression of our emotions. From the melodies, down to the rhythms, I seek out emotionally impactful moments on the music side. We like to think of our approach as “freestyle” songwriting. 

I understand you have been together for several years now. How has your sound and or the band’s dynamic evolved since you first came together?

Layla: This is the first band I’ve actually been into where I am not playing guitar and singing at the same time. I really had to step outside of my comfort zone to pursue this path so it was a bit rocky for me at first getting used to focusing solely on vocals. We are constantly improving whether it be with the full band or in the studio but we have come a very long way since then. We all seem more comfortable in what we are doing and it is just way easier now. 

Matt: I would say the sound has changed a lot since the original set of ideas, but it was never really set in stone to begin with! Some songs are heavily rock influenced with big downbeat sections, while on the other hand we have calmer, acoustic, storytelling songs such as “Ginger”. Something for everyone! Whatever we are feeling day to day can make a totally different sound. 

Is songwriting in the band a collaborative effort? What have you learned from each other?

Layla: Songwriting is definitely a collaborative effort. We are constantly going over different areas of the songs from timing to lyrics and everything in-between. 

Matt: Yes, the songs are written primarily between Layla and myself, alongside Michael L. who has brought us wonderful ideas such as our song “Make Time”. 

It usually starts with a small idea from one of us and then we grow the song and arrange it into the final products you eventually hear at release. 

I have learned a lot from Layla and our other members over the years. Layla helps a ton with arrangement and is really good about setting the tone of our songs and opening my ears to new ideas. We are always looking to improve our sound in any way that we can. 

As a band from Lubbock, Texas, how has the city and its music scene influenced you artistically?

Matt: There has always been a good local scene here, but recently there has been a TON of development for the local music scene in our city. Lots of resources, venues, and much more with the introduction of things like the LHUCA campus. It really helps out musicians year round and drives an extra incentive to write and create music here with the city’s support. I would say local music is thriving here in Lubbock, there are so many good artists/bands!

Can you elaborate on the backstory or inspiration behind your new song ‘Memory’?

Layla: Memory was actually written with about a 30 second clip of something I was messing around with on guitar. I sent it over to Matt and basically told him “hey do you like this? If you do, then make a song!” He got back to me pretty fast with the entire song done already! We played it at our second show and the crowd really loved it so we definitely kept it at the top of our list to record and made it happen as soon as we could.

What is your process for songwriting and how do you go about capturing the fragility and emotion of your chosen subject?

Layla: Songwriting for me comes from hearing the melody of the songs we have and then I try to capture what that particular piece of music means to me personally…like what vibe is it? Happy, sad, somber, angry? How do I feel when listening to this melody? All of the lyrics come from something personal and relatable to something that has happened or is happening in my own life! I try to write the style of lyrics to be subjective to every listener to make their own story out of the words given. Songwriting is something I absolutely love to do and am always continuing to improve. 

Layla, it’s fair to say you are the face of the band. I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t ask you how did you find your path as a singer/songwriter? 

Layla: My dad was a singer-songwriter and my siblings and I were around music our entire life. We were raised on classic country like George Jones and Classic rock like Led Zeppelin. When I got around 11 years old I started playing drums and then after I got the basics on drums, I moved to guitar and naturally started singing with it and making my own songs. When I was a teen I started playing open mics around the Dallas-Fort Worth area and I loved it so much it just became a part of me. I still love music just as much as when I was a kid. 

Jeune in French translates to young. Is this French word the inspiration behind the band’s name? Why did you choose it?

Matt: The name was a challenge for a while! One of our former members, Jordyn, typed “Jeune” onto a list as we were tossing out names for the band. It kind of rang a bell! Then once we looked it up and saw it translated to “young” in French, we just stuck with it! 

We pronounce it more like the month, “June”. 

Finally, what’s next for Jeune, and where do you see yourselves going forward in the future?

Layla: The sky’s the limit. We will definitely play more shows in the near future as well as continue to work on the first album. 

Matt: Right now we are finishing up the later half of what will be our first full length album. We are always passing ideas back and forth and creating. We’re sitting on some great new ideas (we think) following the release of “Memory”. Outside of that, we will continue to focus on improving ourselves as musicians and will continue to look for any opportunities to share our tunes with new people! 

Jeune’s new single Memory is OUT NOW on all platforms. Listen via Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp. Follow Jeune on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter. Watch on You Tube.

Photo credit: All images are courtesy of Jeune. Photographed by Chris Honesto.