Jupiter II

Jupiter II began with Exiting Europa's orbit. That track came first, and after making it I felt like I wanted to make more material in the same general style. The release was originally longer, but I later cut it down heavily to keep only the harder core of it. For me, that made the release stronger. It keeps the atmosphere focused, and there is not much on it that feels unnecessary or distracting.

Compared to a lot of the surrounding catalogue, Jupiter II has a warmer feel and a more song-like form. It is still clearly part of the broader project, but it leans further in that direction than much of the rest. Not in a fully pop sense, but in the way the tracks hold their shape, unfold patiently, and stay more centered in one state. The two tracks are tied together mainly by their sound design, their slow development, and the specific form they take.

Melancholy feels central to the release. That is probably the clearest thing holding it together. The sound design is also one of the strongest parts of the EP for me. It has a fairly pronounced identity of its own, and because the release is so short, that atmosphere does not really have time to thin out. It stays direct and concentrated.

The title refers to Europa, historically also known as Jupiter II. The space imagery is not there as a strict concept or storyline, but it still matters to me. I have had a long-standing fascination with space and with the imagery around it, and Exiting Europa's orbit in particular came out of that very directly. In that sense, Jupiter II feels like the beginning of a recurring space-related branch in the discography, and also the beginning of a more song-shaped line within the project.

All of the sounds on the release were either synthesized from scratch or recorded specifically for the tracks themselves. There are no borrowed or found samples. Some of the percussion also came from recorded workplace tool sounds, though that is only a small part of the whole.

A later alternate master was also released as Jupiter II+. That version adds new intros, outros, and intermezzo sections, and presents the material with a cleaner mix and master. Even so, I still wanted to keep the original version, because the rougher mix has its own character too.

Two tracks from the earlier, longer version of Jupiter II later ended up on out of phase. Other material from the same period has still not been released anywhere. The current plan is to eventually gather that remaining work, together with a few related tracks from 2023 and 2024, into a separate release called Voyager 2023/2024. That would basically function as a B-sides collection for Jupiter II, out of phase, and some earlier standalone material.

Text written in May 2026.