I do have a bit of a mean streak, dear reader. A summer fete or fair watching a toddler with a balloon. As night follows day the grip loosens, first shock on the child’s face as the balloon departs, then delight as the balloon starts to rise and be free, finally horror and tears as the child realises they are not ever going to get that balloon back. I used to inwardly giggle at one of life’s little cruel cyclic inevitabilities. After thinking about Jellyfish In Space’s new single Helium Balloon; no more.

With second single Helium Balloon new band Jellyfish In Space (a musical project of Joshua Shannon and Joe Mitchell, with help from Alastair Wain on drums) have produced a heart wrenching metaphor about an inescapable and incurable loss which cannot simply be mollified by the distraction of an ice cream. The song itself has a low fi and suppressed air to it, accentuating the emotional tug of this song.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2jFRgw5CTWcTZgqbaBOFSO?si=FWWbDlvTTn-0Eob4PW1Hnw

If you love deeply personal and observational tunes to make you reflect, Helium Balloon is the one. It packs such a huge emotional punch into a few verses.

I needed to find out more about the intriguing Jellyfish in Space to see if I could suss out the complex workings inside. Joe was kind enough to chat with me.

“We’re inspired by the musicians that don’t put themselves in a box with their music, artists like Radiohead, The Cure, King Krule, Phoebe Bridgers, the kind of people that could release almost anything and it doesn’t feel out of place.”

Finding an apt band name must be tricky. My sister’s musical excursion was with a band called Curse; yes it was a heavy Goth Rock band where my sister looked and dressed like Siouxie Sioux and she added deep guttural growls to the sound. With Jellyfish in Space I get the vibe for the weightless, effortless easy wide spread of tentacles and that beautifully comfortable feeling of stretching out into nothingness. Of course, NASA really have birthed jellyfish in space.

I asked Joe what it was that made the duo want to make music.

“The drive for our music comes from our love of creating, whether it be a new sound, song, lyric idea, we just really enjoy coming up with weird little expressive ideas that people can relate to.

Josh and I have been best friends since a young age and just spending time messing around on instruments is where we’re happiest.”

There’s some great news too for those of us who are quickly falling in love with Jellyfish In Space and their deep, chilled vibe. I know I’m not alone in thinking these guys are really onto something here.

“We’ve got some more songs in the works which hope to build on and further discover a unique sound, that gives us purpose and individuality in the music indie scene”.

“We can’t wait to get gigging, while Josh and I tend to write all the music, our good friend Alastair is a fantastic drummer who will join us live, and we’re keen to hit the stages using live sampling, loops and creating a unique live sound”.

Chris R

• Images taken from the band’s social media and huge thanks to Joe for his time talking to me.