VALERIE JUNE’S UNDER COVER OUT TODAY!

8-Track EP Under Cover Features Songs Written by Frank Ocean, John Lennon, Nick Cave, Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, Joe South, Mazzy Star and Nick Drake

Today, acclaimed GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June released Under Cover – a specially curated 8-track covers collection, available digitally and on CD + vinyl via Fantasy Records.  Listen to and/or purchase Under Cover: HERE

Under Cover features extraordinary interpretations of songs by some of June’s favorite artists including previously unreleased versions of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed,” Joe South’s “Don’t It Make You Want To Go Home,” Gillian Welch’s “Look At Miss Ohio,” and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Into My Arms.” The EP also includes two tracks that appeared on June’s (digital only) The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers Deluxe Edition: John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon.” Bob Dylan’s transcendent “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You,” (previously available as an Amazon Original exclusive). June’s captivating reading of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” rounds out the set; its live performance video has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube to date.

One of American music’s most admired sonic experimentalists, June approaches these carefully chosen songs with both reverence and child-like freedom.  It’s a one-of-kind balance between modern and traditional influences that makes her such a unique artistic force and these timeless songs her own.

Valerie June on her love of Gillian Welch and “Look at Miss Ohio”:

“The modulation of intonation and pitch of her voice made me rush to the store to buy every record she’d ever made.  The course of study only gets deeper with every record and each listen.  I found myself noticing the sound of the room in the recordings.  That’s when I became a fan of T. Bone Burnett’s production, and I lost myself in the masterful musicianship on the records with David Rawlings.  Luckily, I shared the stage with them at a show in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena where I was able to tell them both thank you for their music.  I have so many music teachers that I’ve never gotten to meet.  Usually, I just study their records.  It’s also a high honor and blessing when you get to meet one of your faves.”

Valerie June’s most recent full-length album, 2021’s acclaimed The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, was one of the year’s most celebrated releases. Produced by June and Jack Splash, the album is “a psychedelic tour de force” that is “powerfully, elegantly subversive” (UNCUT) and “a stunning song cycle of redemption and reclamation” (Rolling Stone). June’s spellbinding vocals and infectious sense of wonder ground the record, and “her every quiver bespeaks emotional honesty” (New Yorker).

The follow-up to her 2013 breakthrough, Pushin’ Against A Stone, and the widely adored The Order of Time — a 2017 effort that earned the admiration of Bob Dylan and landed on best-of-the-year lists — The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers is a landmark work for the Memphis-born, Brooklyn-based auteur. The album’s “Call Me A Fool,” featuring Stax legend Carla Thomas, was nominated for Best American Roots Song at this year’s GRAMMY Awards, the first nomination of June’s illustrious career.

Under Cover Track List:

1. “Pink Moon” (Nick Drake)
2. “Fade Into You” (Mazzy Star)
3. “Look At Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch)
4. “Godspeed” (Frank Ocean)
5. “Imagine” (John Lennon)
6. “Don’t It Make You Want To Go Home” (Joe South)
7. “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” (Bob Dylan)
8. “Into My Arms” (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)

Catch Valerie June ON TOUR:
8/26 –   London, England – All Points East Festival
9/2 –     George, WA – The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/10 –   New Haven, CT – CT Folk Fest
9/17 –   Camden, NJ – XpoNential Music Festival
10/16 – Greenville, SC – Fall For Greenville
11/4 –   Port Washington, NY – Landmark on Main Street (solo show)
11/5 –   Mamaroneck, NY – Emelin Theatre Mamaroneck (solo show)
11/6 –   Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (solo show)
11/8 –   Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Café (solo show)
11/9 –   State College, PA – The State Theatre (solo show)
11/11 – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts of Homer (solo show)
11/12 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall (solo show)
11/13 – Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performance Center (solo show)

Photo Credit: Renata Raksha

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