Sending her shimmering love songs all the way from her London base is the sweet-hearted NZ singer-songwriter Jupita aka Julia Morris.
Released earlier this month, her latest single, “Want You Back,” is a thoughtful track about wanting to revive a past romance.
It serves as the title track for the Tāmaki Makaurau-born artist’s upcoming debut EP of the same, set for release on November 17th.
Produced by Levi Patel (Alayna, Gala George), the slow-burning single greatly benefits from its delicate, indie pop arrangement, featuring gentle guitar strums and soft, lingering drums. Jupita’s angelic vocals add a layer of nostalgia to the track, drawing comparisons to tender-voiced artists like Arlo Parks.
“The first part of the song I wrote is the pre chorus: “She messaged me 140 times before 2 / That’s 140 times more than you. That’s what you and I used to do.” I was hanging out some washing at around 2pm and I got yet another text from someone that I was kind of seeing,” the musician reveals.
“I looked at my phone and counted up how many messages this girl had sent me that day and it was 140. All I could do in this new ‘situationship’ was compare everything to my ex. Me and my ex used to message each other all day every day as well. So the song is about realising that you are still in love with your ex because of someone else that just doesn’t compare and you want them back. No one can even come close to them.”
In the second verse, Morris’s songwriting draws the listener in as she mentions specific things she misses from her past relationship, like their shared love for Australian indie rock icon Courtney Barnett.
“Courtney Barnett will always remind me of a specific time in my life. This new person had no idea who Courtney Barnett is and that made me sad. Needless to say it did not work out,” she recalls.
The accompanying music video, directed by Alex Rod, captures the song’s cute and intimate vibe (watch below).
Jupita is making her return to Aotearoa next month, where she will perform a one-off EP release show at Whammy Backroom in Auckland on November 17th.
Jupita’s “Want You Back” is out now.
