WATCH / SHARE “LOVE, TRY NOT TO LET GO” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LOVE, TRY NOT TO LET GO” HERE
JULIA JACKLIN NEW LP, PRE PLEASURE, PRODUCED BY MARCUS PAQUIN AND RECORDED WITH MEMBERS OF THE WEATHER STATION, OUT AUGUST 26 VIA POLYVINYL
WORLD TOUR BEGINS THIS AUGUST WITH STOPS IN TORONTO, MONTREAL, AND VANCOUVER
PRE-ORDER PRE PLEASURE HERE
“‘I Was Neon’ has the feeling of an unrestricted exhale…Jacklin revels in both appreciation and apprehension of the most vibrant version of herself. – NPR
“Julia Jacklin’s music is a gradual accumulation of small, sharp lyrical details, and “Lydia Wears a Cross” is full of them. The arrangement is sparse – drum machine, echoing stabs of piano – to spotlight Jacklin’s storytelling.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Lydia Wears A Cross” is a slow-building number. It starts with Jacklin singing over a rickety drum-machine, but by the time it’s over, we get strings and synths and drums coming in from every angle. – STEREOGUM
“Rather than disavowing her much more eager young self with “Lydia Wears a Cross,” Jacklin takes a loving approach, clarifying her primary-school perspective with the wisdom of growing up.” – PITCHFORK
Photo Credit: Nick Mckk // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Julia Jacklin shares another taste of her highly anticipated new album PRE PLEASURE, set for release on August 26 on Polyvinyl Record Co. The driving “Love, Try Not To Let Go” arrives with a spontaneous and joyful one-shot video filmed in Melbourne, co-directed with Nick Mckk, and featuring a collaboration with visual artist Juliet Bryant.
“‘Love, Try Not To Let Go’ was written one night during the recording period in my apartment in Montreal,” says Jacklin. “It’s the first song I’ve ever written fully on piano. It’s the first time I’ve played piano on a record. I thought someone better would redo the take but we kept it so now I’m officially a pianist. We recorded it the next day. I made everyone watch the running scene from Rocky beforehand.”
In a way only she can, Jacklin skates along airy keys and crisp drums, before blossoming into thundering guitar chords under a full-voiced declaration: ‘I need you to believe me when I said I found it hard / to keep myself from floating away/try not to let go’. The video builds on Julia’s joyful visual palette for the record with an unmistakably Melbourne video, set against a backdrop of retro suburbia against the city skyline. Starring an unassuming neighbourhood cat, Jacklin skips down a quiet street singing the energetic hook: ‘try not to let go’.
"Love, Try Not To Let Go" builds on from instant fan favourites “I Was Neon” and “Lydia Wears A Cross”, which received a wave of love on release globally, reviewed by the likes of Pitchfork, The New York Times, Stereogum, NME and NPR Music, with media and fans all welcoming the return of Jacklin and news of her third album release. “I Was Neon” also received serious radio acclaim, with the track being added to full rotation on triple j and international support from BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 1, SiriusXMU, KEXP and KCRW.
WATCH / SHARE “I WAS NEON” HERE
BUY / STREAM “I WAS NEON” HERE
Since releasing her debut album Don’t Let the Kids Win in 2016, the Melbourne-via-Blue Mountains singer-songwriter has carved out a fearsome reputation as a direct lyricist, willing to excavate the parameters of intimacy and agency in songs both stark and raw, loose, and playful. If her folky debut announced those intentions, and the startling 2019 follow-up Crushing drew in listeners uncomfortably close, PRE PLEASURE is the sound of Jacklin gently loosening her grip.
The new album, Jacklin’s third, is a masterclass in songwriting and cements her status as one of the most important songwriters of our time. PRE PLEASURE was conceived upon returning home from a mammoth Crushing world tour, and finished in a frantic few months of recording in Montreal with co-producer Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The National). The 10-track offering sees Jacklin once again putting intensely personal thoughts and feelings to paper whilst expanding on her signature sound; and, at the same time, attempting to inject some joy back into the process.
WATCH / SHARE “LYDIA WEARS A CROSS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LYDIA WEARS A CROSS” HERE
“Once music becomes your job, you can lose the purity of music fandom. I spent the last two years trying to reconnect with that. I didn’t play much, I just listened. Especially to a lot of big pop music like Celine Dion, Robyn and Luther Vandross – music that wasn’t so heavy, big feelings, big production. You lose sight of what putting on a big, beautiful song can do.”
PRE PLEASURE reflects this source inspiration and showcase Jacklin’s willingness to explore new terrain as both a producer and songwriter, once again presenting her most authentic and genuine self and translating it into deeply personal, timeless songs.
Jacklin is due to tour North America, UK, and Europe from August this year. The tour will span several months and see her perform at her biggest venues to date, including iconic rooms like the 3000-capacity Roundhouse in London, and 1800-capacity Brooklyn Steel in New York. Jacklin will also make stops in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
READ MORE ABOUT JULIA JACKLIN IN THE FULL BIO HERE
PRE-ORDER PRE PLEASURE HERE
“Lydia Wears A Cross” is a simmering slow-build of a track that crescendos to a swirling vortex of muted tones, a reckoning with childhood memories that’s patient and painstakingly crafted. – PAPER
“Lydia Wears a Cross” could have been a daunting lead single, but Jacklin steps with an impressive lightness across a rolling indie-pop arrangement. – BILLBOARD
“Here [‘I Was Neon’] she puts the pedal to the floor with a few chugging power chords and a hypnotic refrain…The simple, repetitive structure makes this song the perfect festival set closer.” – THE GUARDIAN
WORLD TOUR DATES
08/26 - Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater - Here and There Festival
08/27 - Pasadena, CA @ This Ain’t No Picnic Festival
09/09 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk #09/10 - Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory #
09/12 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East #
09/13 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
09/15 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
09/16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
09/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts #
09/18 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club #
09/20 - Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre $
09/21 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre $
09/22 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin University $
09/23 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall $
09/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line $
09/26 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater $
09/27 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge $
09/29 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom $
09/30 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile $
10/02 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall $
10/04 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore $
10/05 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern $
10/07 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre $
10/08 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom $
11/03 - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street &
11/05 - Glasgow, Scotland @ SWG3 TV Studio &
11/06 - Manchester, UK @ The Ritz &
11/07 - Birmingham, UK @ The Mill &
11/09 - Bristol, UK @ SWX &
11/10 - Brighton, UK @ Chalk &
11/11 - London, UK @ Roundhouse &
11/13 - Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie &
11/14 - Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix Club &
11/15 - Cologne, Germany @ Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld &
11/17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso &
11/18 - Hamburg, Germany @ Knust &
11/20 - Oslo, Norway @ Parkteatret &
11/21 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Slaktkyrkan &
11/22 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Dr Koncerthuset &
11/24 - Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Theatre &
11/25 - Munich, Germany @ Strom &
11/26 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Plaza &
11/27 - Milan, Italy @ Magnolia &
11/29 - Barcelona, Spain @ Apolo &
11/30 - Madrid, Spain @ SalaMon &
12/01 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Lav &
# w/ Kara Jackson
$ w/ Katy Kirby
& w/ Erin Rae
PRE PLEASURE TRACKLISTING
01. Lydia Wears A Cross
02. Love, Try Not To Let Go
03. Ignore Tenderness
04. I Was Neon
05. Too In Love To Die
06. Less Of A Stranger
07. Moviegoer
08. Magic
09. Be Careful With Yourself
10. End Of A Friendship