Long Read // After releasing their first album in 12 years, Juanita Stein is “really pumped” to get back on the road with Howling Bells.
After releasing their first album in 12 years, Juanita Stein is “really pumped” to get back on the road with Howling Bells.
Along with her brother guitarist Joel and drummer Glenn Moule, they are the central trio behind the Bells for the past two decades, and their fifth album, ‘Strange Life’, came out on Friday.
“It feels like the energy is all there. Everyone’s ready to get out on the road and take the songs out” Juanita told When The Horn Blows.
She admitted to being anxious about the release of ‘Unbroken’ back in September, their first new single back in over a decade, but the positive reaction to the album’s pre-released singles has been greatly appreciated.
On the album’s opening track and first release from the ‘Strange Life’ era, she said: “I think it was the right one to lead with, because not only was it big and loud, so sonically it made a noise, but thematically, it just spoke directly to the resilience of the band, and how much tenacity you need to A) remain a band for this long, and B) to be releasing music in 2026 at all.”
With ‘Strange Life’, the trio – alongside producer Ben Hillier – have created an album that sounds timeless. One of the album’s highlights is the third track, ‘Angel’, in which Juanita has written about her personal experience of feeling stuck in a relationship, and calling upon a fictitious guide to give her the courage to leave. Musically, she’s channelling her love of American music from the 1950s. “I don’t think they were aware at the time the music they were making is really dark, but listening to it through the lens of somebody living in 2026, like hearing The Flamingos, or even some early Elvis Presley demos, it’s just so dark. It just seems really out of touch with the reality around them. And so a lot of that I’ve taken into my own writing.”
The musical landscape has changed remarkably since their last album, 2014’s ‘Heartstrings’. The advances in technology are a juxtaposition from the trio’s old-school process, playing it live in the studio and recording to tape.
“So not only does it sound fantastic, but also you tend to produce music differently because you’re working towards a time frame,” Juanita explained. “I think that contributes to an overall sense of urgency perhaps in the music. And also with live takes, you have to get it right. There’s the urgency that comes from that too. You’re working together, you’re looking at each other in the eyes. It’s a beautiful thing.”
While the studio, producer and label are the same as her recent solo output, the process for ‘Strange Life’ reminded her why she loved being in a band. “With the solo albums, it’s lonesome. You definitely feel like you’re alone, and I guess some artists really thrive on that. As much as I enjoy that experience, I also really, really enjoy being in a gang. And that’s what a band is essentially, like a gang of brothers. I think that affects the music too.”
Like many acts releasing new music in 2026, the album launch begins with an in-store tour, and Juanita is particularly thrilled by the vinyl revival.
“I have fond memories of playing in record stores,” she revealed. “That’s something we’ve done since the dawn of time. I’m really glad we’re still doing that, and that people are flocking to buy vinyl. I love the wave of nostalgia, and the fact that there is an emphasis on playing in record stores is absolutely brilliant.”
Whilst she has been dealing with fan complaints that ‘Strange Life’ is not being issued on cassette (!), the popular return of physical copies is approved, especially as the band’s first albums weren’t released on wax. “In 2006, people weren’t lining up to buy vinyl. It’s beautiful.”
While this year marks 20 years of their self-titled debut album, there are no set plans to mark the anniversary – except perhaps to finally get it out on vinyl. “This new album, ‘Strange Life’, is such a momentous thing for us, we just want to get that on the road. And then kind of see where we’re at a bit down the line.”
The band started out in Australia back in the mid-00s, before moving to Britain. Initially taking to London, the band eventually settled in Brighton, where Juanita has soaked up the local community. On the English south coast, she has managed to balance her creative output with the school run, surrounded by other creative parents in the area. “With that in mind, it feels like a privilege to be still able to record, release and perform music now.”
Being the child of a musician father and a theatrical mother, and being in a band with her brother, the family’s musical thread is strong – and it may be passing on to her children too. “I did an instore not long ago at Resident Records here and my youngest daughter, who was about nine at the time, sat in the front row. And I was playing a song, and I looked down at her to see what her reaction would be, and she was sat there and she was air-playing guitar, like trying to copy exactly what I was doing. And I just thought that was so beautiful. I don’t know if either of them will end up musicians, but they have a very strong sense of their mother singing and playing music, and I think that’s joyful.”
While she felt that moving the Bells to Britain two decades ago was “necessary”, Australian music has strengthened to the point where modern bands don’t feel the same need to leave. Streaming and social media have ushered in a “different era” for modern bands in Sydney, where the band were based before heading to the UK. “I’ve found more and more bands are staying in Australia, and I think that speaks to the landscape. I think it’s changed dramatically. I think Australian music is kind of exploding, and I think people are really paying attention. I don’t feel like bands necessarily need to pick up and move their entire lives to another country.”
Juanita has also noted that the early Bells sound is more prevalent now than ever in modern acts – like the grunge-Americana fusion of Wednesday, the perfect alt-pop of Alvvays and the dreamy-pop of The Marias. “There’s so many bands. The amount of bands with girls in them now is just unbelievable compared to when I first started. It just didn’t feel like a welcoming environment for women, whereas now I think if you’re not in a band, you’re just not cool.”
‘Strange Life’ is a culmination of the band’s old-school vibes, from the sound, through the recording process, and even into their approach to life. Not that railing against modernity is a new thing for Juanita and her band – it dates back before the beginning of Howling Bells.
As a precursor to the group, the trio were an Australian pop-rock act called Waikiki, and their one and only album from 2002, ‘I’m Already Home’, was recently added to streaming services. On its opening track, Juanita sings “it’s you and me against the new technology”.
“Isn’t that crazy?” she admitted. “It’s wild. I don’t know where that came from. And I’m really just waiting for somebody to discover that song and sync it now. I think it’s probably more relevant now than it was when it was written. I’m a mind reader.”
It’s not the only time she’s managed to be commenting on the state of the world before it becomes even more prevalent. “My first solo record was called ‘America’, and the lead single off that, the title track, was about the downfall of America. I think there’s something to be said about my psychic abilities.”
When pressed upon her capacity to foresee the negative elements of the future, she joked: “My next single is going to be called ‘Sunshine and Rainbows’.”
Until then, there is ‘Strange Life’ to savour, a tour to prepare for, and a 20th anniversary to celebrate. For all the talk about strange, this feels very normal for Howling Bells.
‘Strange Life’, the new album by Howling Bells, is out now on Nude Records.
Feature by Samuel Draper
