London-based neo-soul and pop artist Ivana June captures the pull of an early romance on ‘Peppermint Tea’, a single about wanting someone while still protecting yourself from being hurt again.
The lyric “I did myself up a bit, even my makeup / and you don’t know that it’s not very often that I try” is a detail you don’t write unless you’ve lived it. June has been hurt before and she says so plainly: “I’ve been hurt one too many times / but maybe I wouldn’t mind if you were just mine.”
The track was recorded live at a London studio with producer Peter Anderson, guitarist for Skinshape, and drummer Felix Foilleret, with an original rare Maestro Rhythm King drum machine built into the percussion. That setup gives the song its texture: bongos sitting low in the mix, a lush but spacious instrumental arrangement, and June’s vocals moving through it all with a softness that suits the late-night subject matter. The production draws on quiet storm traditions of the 1980s, creating a mood you can easily drift into.
And much like the drink itself, which we reach for when we need something calming, June uses it to describe exactly what this person does to her. “Loosen up my senses, waken up my feelings, I got no defences.” Peppermint tea doesn’t ask permission. Neither does falling for someone.
There is a quality in her music that recalls the warmth of Sade and Corinne Bailey Rae, sensual and comfortable in its own pace. Ivana June’s ‘Peppermint Tea’ is a confident first single of 2026.
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