Some albums come to life under truly special circumstances. Such is the case with the new record In Motion by Junaco. The environment that shaped it was unlike anything else—written during a week together in a yurt on the Smith River, surrounded by rain, silence, wood fires, sauna nights, and icy water. Cut off from the outside world, without internet or distractions, the trio immersed themselves in a rhythm that was as raw as it was inspiring. I imagine it as an almost otherworldly experience, and it’s fascinating to see what appears when there are no outside influences at all.
In Motion became something beautiful: a gentle journey through sounds full of nostalgia, tenderness, and quiet beauty, slowly finding its way into life and letting the soul drift. “Connection, trust, and vulnerability were at the heart of the process,” they tell us. And that essence lingers in every melody of the record, carrying listeners along through change, memory, and motion.
photography by Jacob Boll
Hey Junaco! While working on your interview I’ve been listening to your new album—and it’s truly wonderful. There’s a calmness and softness to it, like a gentle breath, the perfect soundtrack for these rushing days we’re living in. How are you all doing, and where are you at the moment?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: Thank you, that’s definitely how the record feels to me too. Doing great— in and out of Portland currently.
Shahana Jaffer: Thank you (smiles) excited for these songs to be out in the world, enjoying summer in LA.
Joey LaRosa: Thank you—excited for these songs to be out in the world, enjoying summer in LA.
The setting for In Motion sounds almost like a retreat to me: one circular room, the river, no digital noise. How did being cut off from the outside world change what surfaced in your songs?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: Ya it really was. We got together at the Smith River on a friend’s property that I was working and living on at the time and wrote most of the album that week. It was really beautiful to be able to get away from our normal lives and be really present together and just see what emerged. It really felt like the songs were just sprouting out of the air, out of our conversations, and out of the landscape around us. Feeling that creative and free also came from just having a lot of trust in each other and vulnerability to be able to share ideas. Writing in a group like that is a rare and special thing and although we’d done it before it felt like it was extra easy and free in that space.
Shahana Jaffer: It’s really interesting to experiment and see what comes up when you’re not “logged on.” It’s incredible to remember that we actually used to live this way, completely present, only aware of what’s around us. We had spent time on that property before, so we knew what we were getting into, but this was our first time there in the winter. Usually in the summer, the energy is high, the river is providing a cool solace from the sun, people are in and out—but this was entirely different—quiet, almost eerie. I think finally having the mental space to focus only on playing, writing, talking, cooking, walking, it was very special and allowed us to connect with each other on a deeper level.
Why did you choose this environment for creating the album?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: We actually kind of chose two opposing landscapes for this record. We wrote most of the songs in the damp, dark winter at the Smith. Then when it came time to record that spring, we went down to Tornillo, Texas to work with our good friend Mario Ramirez at Sonic Ranch in the desert. Like the Smith, Tornillo is an incredibly beautiful and deeply quiet place that really feels like it’s alive and has its own way. There are so many special and different things about both of these locations, but I think just having unlimited time in the day to play together and no distractions was the throughline between both places. Also just want to say thank you to Mario again for seamlessly joining our little circus and bringing such deep and nuanced sonics to the songs. He’s a true master of recording and of friendship.
“If I could hold onto the moment of drinking a coffee with the band and playing tunes at 4pm as the sun is setting, I would live in that place forever.” — Joey
Living, writing, and creating so closely together during that time must have allowed you to see each other on many deeper levels. What did you learn about one another during that week in the yurt?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: It felt like family with these guys long before this experience, but I think I just saw a whole new level of creativity from both Shahana and Joey during that week. Everything felt spontaneous and honestly easy. Each time we would hit a wall we’d just go for a walk and talk about how we felt, and by the time we came back most of the time someone would have an idea and we were off to the races again. The whole writing session and recording session felt kind of like a summer camp (winter/spring camp?) and if I had to go back to school after I would have been very sad about it.
Shahana Jaffer: Like I mentioned before, really being present together was a special and rare feeling. We’ve been making music together for quite some time, and we’ve come to know each other really well, but my favorite part of this experience was that by the end of it, it seemed like we didn’t have to communicate verbally when we were writing. The songs started to take their own form and it seemed like we followed. It was really fun and special.
Joey LaRosa: I learned how important it is to just listen and be patient in the writing process. I feel like for the first time we all were giving each other space to develop ideas rather than trying to jam whatever our idea was on top of someone else’s. We really listened and let things develop naturally.
One of my favorite songs on the album is “Hello Goodbye.” I love the melancholic side of it (smiles). Can you tell me more about the track?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: I love this one too. One of my favorite grooves to play on the whole project. As I remember it, Shahana and Joey had been working on this song for a while and we played it together for the first time in a green room, and then 10 mins later at a show. What’s on the record isn’t too far off from how it sounded that first time playing it.
Shahana Jaffer: This song started as an observation of a relationship we had been around a lot. But the more we’ve been playing it, it began to have a different meaning to me. To me, it’s a reflection on how absurd and hilarious this life is, how we don’t know anything for sure, how funny it is that the one thing we truly know is that we die. It’s kind of dark, but it’s meant to be playful.
Joey LaRosa: I believe Shahana and I started writing this one out of the frustration and absurdity of not being able to be present in the current moment. How fleeting every success and disaster is. We always look back and forward but rarely sit in the moment of where we all are.
“Sometimes a song that was written about something takes on a new meaning entirely as I grow and change.” — Shahana
The songs touch on homes, relationships, heartbreak, and change—things everyone can relate to. How should we imagine this process? Do you each bring in your own personal experiences, or is it more of a shared reflection that comes together?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: I think it’s both things. Some songs are definitely about specific things in one of our lives, and others seem like we all have our own version of what they mean to us. Many of the lyrics really came through sitting around and talking about how something in our lives made each of us feel, and then singing those ideas together until a song emerged. Which sounds ridiculous now that I’m saying it out loud.
In another interview you said, “We ended up recording more songs than we can fit on the record, so we’re really excited to find creative ways to put out the rest of the singles.” Do you ever experience something like writer’s or creative block?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: Definitely, but it’s also nice that there are three of us so we can usually help each other out of it.
Shahana Jaffer: Yes, of course. I’ve grown to accept it’s part of the whole process, and find the line between trusting it and pushing through.
Touring brings your music into new contexts—different rooms, energies, strangers becoming audiences. Have you noticed songs changing meaning for you once you play them live?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: I don’t know about changing meaning, but it’s really important to us to get out and play this music live for sure. It’s so beautiful to hear from people that they listened to a song of ours and it helped them through a hard time, or a road trip or anything in between. I think getting together and listening to live music is deeply human and I feel unbelievably lucky that that’s something I get to be a part of on a regular basis.
Shahana Jaffer: For me, honestly yes. Sometimes a song that was written about something takes on a new meaning entirely as I grow and change. Some lines feel different to sing when I feel differently that day. That’s my favorite thing about music and art—there’s no one way to interpret it.
Looking back at the past few months, I feel like time has passed so quickly—everything is constantly in motion (smiles). Do you feel the same? And if you could hold on to one thing forever from this time, what would it be?
Tejas Leier-Hayden: Time is fake. Also at the same time it’s pretty incredible to be alive during this 150-ish year period that it’s been possible to record and listen back to music. I think being in the studio is such a surreal and beautiful experience. Hearing a mirror of yourself back in real time is pretty wild and so is knowing that it gets to live on for a very long time after that.
Shahana Jaffer: I will always be in awe of how quickly time goes by. I’m so grateful to be able to have these moments and feelings stamped in time. I can listen back to any of the songs we’ve recorded and I’m instantly right there in the room again, feeling everything I was feeling that day. In that way, these songs are a moment frozen in time, and I’m so grateful for it.
Joey LaRosa: I truly believe we are living in a moment with so much information our brains cannot comprehend anything, and the direct result is time is whipping by. I think we are trying to understand everything we are being given and it is warping our relationship with time. If I could hold onto the moment of drinking a coffee with the band and playing tunes at 4pm as the sun is setting I would live in that place forever. When we are together doing that it is truly magical. It isn’t a performance, it is just us doing it for us.
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