Australian songwriter Julia Jacklin makes warm, fuzzy indie-folk with a husky, crackling alto that tends to stay with you. Three albums in, sheâs one of the most reliable voices in the genre. New album âThe Gemâ is out this Friday.
Itâs final single, âIf I Had The Hand Of Godâ, is country-nodding and cathartic - overdriven guitars, a marching drumbeat, Jacklin precise, full of feeling. Written after a surreal trip to Nashville, itâs about the life of a touring musician and the importance (or unimportance) of legacy. âAfter the show, become an outline to everyone you knowâ, she sings.
The album was recorded above a Melbourne pub of the same name, in converted rooms upstairs. As a residential bar, they couldnât record late into the night and sound bleed was a âglorious constraintâ - foot traffic from the hairdresser and tattoo parlour next door, the kitchen crew and bands playing below.
On the last day of sessions the band got matching tattoos; a neat little circle to represent an opal, Jacklinâs favourite gemstone, done by one of the bartenders. âIt did really feel like weâd done something special togetherâ, she says. âIâm glad we all have these little gems on usâ.
Her UK and European tour is from February. Go!
đ§ Watch the video to âIf I Had The Hand Of Godâ below