BECCA MANCARI Releases new EP Juniata

Today, Becca Mancari releases her new digital EP, Juniata, via Captured Tracks / Remote Control. Confronting one’s past doesn’t always end in a fiery explosion – sometimes, acceptance has the quiet strength of water. Mancari knows this; it’s why she chose to name her new EP after the rural Pennsylvania river where she spent much of her childhood. In this new collection, she returns to her past both literally and figuratively, casting new light with a stripped-down selection of some of her sophomore album’s most soul-stirring tracks. Listen to Juniata here. 

Earlier this week, Mancari shared a cinematic live performance of ‘Annie’ featuring Lockeland Strings. Stereogum called the single “sweeping and starry-eyed” and Paste called it “enchanting.” Watch here.

Becca Mancari on Juniata –  “I grew up in rural Pennsylvania in a town of less than 900 people. We had one red light, and more corn fields than people, but it had such a beauty to it. My home was on the side of a mountain between two rivers, the Susquehanna River (which was wild and at times dangerous) and its smaller tributary the Juniata River. For some reason, ever since I put out The Greatest Part I have been dreaming about the Juniata River… It came to me so many times that I finally decided I had to go back to my small town in PA. The voices of my past would not leave me alone. So, this past September I drove the 11 hours solo to visit my childhood hometown, and to finally face whatever was making me feel restless and even afraid. But as I sat at the riverbed the only thing I heard was “it’s time to let go”. I’ll be honest in many ways I think I wrote about forgiveness before I really knew what that meant. To really do the work of forgiveness is a deep work that comes from facing your greatest fears no matter how strong. So, for me this EP is my second chance to maybe say the same thing, but hopefully from a more kind and less fearful place. It’s also about moving beyond my own small story as well… forgiveness and healing is a universal struggle. As you listen, I hope you feel like you are also at your own riverbed hearing the gentle words, “It’s ok you can let go.”

Released in June of last year, the critically-acclaimed ​The Greatest Part ​is a deceptively upbeat collection of sharp indie pop that explores Mancari’s experience growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian home. Described by the New York Times as “Stereolab gone Nashville,” it boasts infectious electric guitar hooks and explosive percussion, cloaking the emotional weight of its subject matter in vibrant technicolor. The celebratory sound was by design – the album was meant as a paean to resilience and joy in the face of pain. Still, Mancari felt there was more to be expressed in these songs – she’d been having a recurring dream about the river, too, which felt like a symbol of unfinished business.

Though there is no shortage of formidable lyricism on ​Juniata’s t​racks, listening to the EP recalls another line from ​The Greatest Part:​“ ​Do you know your body anymore?”​ she asked on ‘I’m Sorry.’ “​Does it haunt you every night?​” Exposing oneself isn’t easy, especially with the whole world watching. But as Mancari confidently peels back the layers of her songwriting to reveal their gut-wrenching core, one gets the sense that she isn’t feeling so haunted anymore.

Purchase / Stream Becca Mancari – Juniata EP: http://beccamancari.ffm.to/juniata.opr