Junip – “Line Of Fire” (Feat. Sharon Van Etten)

Junip, the Swedish rock band that counts indie-folk star José González as a member, released their song “Line Of Fire” back in 2013; it was the opening track on their self-titled sophomore album. A decade later, they’ve released a new version of the song featuring one of indie’s most prolific guest artists, Sharon Van Etten. Junip and Van Etten created this rendition of the track for Wild Life, a new National Geographic documentary premiering on Disney+ and Hulu today.

A statement from González:

We love the new version of LoF with Sharon Van Etten’s voice! We got asked by producer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin if we could think of a female voice to add to the song. Our thoughts went to Sharon with her beautiful voice and dramatic range. We’ve also toured together back in 2010 and even performed a duet towards the end of the run of shows and so it felt natural to reunite. As a duet the song has a different feel that fit the film perfectly.

And from Van Etten:

I was a fan of José González before I had the opportunity to tour with Junip in 2010. I was lucky enough to get to sing with him on stage all those years ago. I was able to witness José and his band go so quickly from sweet and sentimental to direct and piercing through their performances, not to mention how José’s guitar playing and songwriting deliver this specific gut punch that is unique to he and his band’s production. It was challenging to learn the complicated melody that José wrote and I worked hard to honor his phrasing. It was a welcome reconnection after not having been able to perform with him in some time. A welcomed reunion set to the backdrop of such a beautiful story.

Hear the new “Line Of Fire” below.