Review: Navy June’s routine avoidance

Navy June 
routine avoidance  
Independent

There is a lot of energy around Navy June on the WA scene at the moment, and after listening to their latest track, routine avoidance—it is easy to see why.

It opens with a Paul Kelly-vibe acoustic strum and Ruby Barton-Taylor’s sweet, vanilla-like vocals, gently lulling the listener in like a dream. At first, it feels warm and comforting—like sitting down with a cup of tea in the sun—but then the lyrics strike with pain and heartbreak, burning one’s tongue like a sip of Earl Grey that’s a little too hot.

“I’m on the phone with my therapist. How does she know I’m not getting it?” documents something really intimate about the whole song. It has that bedroom indie-rock feeling, a bit like Beabadoobee, where it feels personal and polished but also a little bit blurry too. The lyrics sit in that uncomfortable space between wanting someone badly and knowing you probably shouldn’t.

The song narrates a masochistic tendency to love and hate someone at the same time, wanting them “like death” while knowing they’re no longer good for you—a dichotomy that creates a tension and honesty that feels uniquely human.

Barton-Taylor’s vocals are a true standout in the song and a testament to her control and practice. They’re sweet, but there’s still rawness underneath that keeps the lyrics from feeling overly polished. The little bit of reverb and delay around her voice gives it some space, but it never takes away from any closeness. Like she’s singing right next to you, while the effects create this emotional distance that fits perfectly with what she’s singing about.

Instrumentally, the song keeps things pretty simple, which works in its favour. It starts with a delicate acoustic guitar and slowly builds with more layers of ambience and harmonies. Nothing feels overdone or like it’s trying too hard to grab your attention. The guitar still sounds warm and natural, and the more subtle rhythmic elements leave plenty of room for the vocals and lyrics to sit at the centre, but the layering as the song progresses sounds certainly makes this track feel important.

Lyrically, routine avoidance leans into the complicated side of relationships—love, hate, longing, resentment and that cycle of knowing something hurts, but still wanting it anyway. There’s a heaviness to the imagery, particularly around drowning, which makes those feelings feel almost physical. The repeated expressions of hate don’t really feel like pure hatred either; they feel like the kind of anger that comes from longing for too long. That’s what gives the song its emotional punch.

Overall, it’s a gritty and beautifully human track. It’s simple, sweet and edgy, and although it is sad, it does not feel overly dramatic. Routine avoidance by Navy June has managed to make something that feels intimate and personal while still being an easy listen and certainly a song not to be avoided.

NEVE PEARCE