Pre Pleasure by Julia Jacklin

There is something special about listening to an artist the same age as you. The lived experiences match your own, and you can appreciate the wisdom coming from the lips of a peer. Julia Jacklin is a 33-year-old hailing from the Blue Mountains of Australia. The first time I heard Lydia Wears a Cross, the opening number on Julia's 2022 album Pre Pleasure, released August 2022, I fell in love. Thanks to Pitchfork, I found this album the day it was released, and a thanks is owed indeed, for I have played this album so many times. The stylings of Julia Jacklin are firmly indie, indie pop, indie rock, at times, alternative country, and to me, the sound was of a winning throw down home plate. Her words conjured beautiful images to my mind, and the melodies never failed to bring me back down to the ground. She comes from a family of school teachers which is referenced several times in her music.

From the video for Lydia Wears a Cross

The opening lines of Lydia Wears a Cross, "Seated in rows, Knees and eyes closed, I felt pretty, In the shoes and the dress, Confused by the rest, could he hear me?" transport the listener to a row of pews, is this a church, is this a school, is this Sunday school? God is the focus of the message. The minimalist digital backbeat keeps time while Julia sings "Listening to Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack" painting the picture a little clearer. As a youth, I loved Jesus Christ Superstar (and still do), and these songs are ingrained in me. The very mention of this album, set my body and mind in motion to listen to the rest of what Julia has to say. Then Julia says, "I'd be a Believer if it was all just song and dance." WOW "I'd be a believer if we thought we had a chance." The question of faith and the theme of religion runs wild through this number. The stark reflections on faith sculpt a statue that is as elegant as Michelangelo. The second song Love, Try Not to Let Go is a beautiful reflection on memories of love. This love is not just a love for a romantic partner, but sounds more of an overarching love for life "The echo of my hometown, The things I never said, Consumes the space between me, And everyone I left" is more a remark on the shadows that dwell inside of us, of where we came from, and how it influences who we are today. The song enters dangerous territory sonically and lyrically as the dangers of forgetting our love present themselves: "Try not to let go, Try not to let go, Try not to let go". The next song, Ignore Tenderness, places Julia centerstage in vulnerable waters. "I've been trying to, Be turned on by you, Be turned on by myself, Or anything else," she tenderly sings as she speaks of the sexual kinks she's left exploring in the wake of lost love from watching porn to choking herself out. She speaks of the need to break out of this pattern "If I don't change soon, will it forever eclipse the moon, that keeps me stable". The song closes in confident territory "But leave no room for doubt, That you are brave, a little leaf catching a wave". The fourth song I was Neon, takes the listener into psychedelic territory. The electric guitars are turned up as Julia sings, "I was Neon, I was the nearest door." The crux of this song sounds like an identity integration experience: "Am I gonna lose myself again? Am I gonna lose myself again? I quite like the person that I am. Am I gonna lose myself again?". I love mantra and repetition in music and the presentation of turning neon and then questioning the loss of self, takes me inward where I need to go. The next song resurrects the love theme slowing things down with, Too in Love To Die, a stark minimalist composition that slowly meanders around a low organ drone in the background focusing in on Julia's words "I'm too in love to die, God couldn't take me now, Surely the love I feel for him, Would save my life somehow". The rest of the song questions life and how love can be the power that we need to keep on going.

The sixth song Less of a Stranger is a folky number that witnesses Julia singing with a stripped-down acoustic guitar sound and double-tracked vocals. This song sounds of a journey into a dark night of the soul reflecting on one's upbringing "Oh, I just wish my own mother was Less of a stranger". The rest of the song explores the past and the lingering memory of relationships culminating with "Oh, don't want her to change, Or feel bad for life's remainder, Oh, I just wish my own mother was, Less of a stranger". The seventh song picks the pace back up slightly with Moviegoer, an entrancing number that takes you into the film frame "It opens with a wide shot, the scene is bare, dry and hot, There's a vintage car outside of a bar" the dimensions of the song expand outwards panning out towards the macro taking you into the mindset of a moviegoer and director. The rest of the song speaks to the pointless evils of capitalism. The movies are getting more expensive for the viewers and the budgets bigger for the directors, but still, "Forty million dollars, still nobody loves you". Like the Beatles said….Money Can't Buy Me Love…. The ninth song, Magic, is about making a change in your personal life. The poetry is strong in Ms. Jacklin, and I can't wait to hear what she creates next. The song speaks to self-love "ignore intrusive thoughts tonight, unlock every door insight". The closing number takes us back into the beginning territory sonically. The lyrics of "Please stop smoking, want your life to last a long time" came at an apt time in 2022, I had picked up cigarettes again during the pandemic, but could never get over the guilt of returning to smoking. The positive message of self-love perfectly rounds this treasure of an album out.

Spread Peace and Love with all that you do,

Will