By – Jackie Lo and Jason Hamric

If you like: My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Swirlies

Julie, the LA trio consisting of bassist and vocalist Alex Brady, Drummer Dillon Lee and guitarist Keyan Pourzand ride a very fine line musically, one that happened before ‘Loveless’ leveled the genre of shoegaze, and back when every band dipping their toes in this area put out great music. Beginning in 2020, they self-released their first single “flutter” which blew up and got almost 38 millions plays on Spotify and in 2021, the group released their first EP ‘pushing daisies’, in 2022, released two new songs “pg.4 a picture of three hedges” and “through your window”, and today is the day we’ve been waiting for, the release of their debut full-length album, ‘my anti-aircraft friend’, via Atlantic Records.

“Catalogue” opens the album with sweet vocals over a killer bass line reminiscent of The Breeders and kicks in with a wall of shoegaze guitars. I love the second verse especially  “I don’t feel sexy / I don’t feel amused / But I will try to undress you / Tethered to the wall / By the fears I thought I’d shed / Long ago I was imagining / But I don’t want to” and it’s followed by “Tenebrist” with rhythmic and dissonant Sonic Youth guitars and a sexy Deftones-like vocal delivery that makes you hang on every note wanting to jump in on the harmonies. “Very Little Effort” is one of my favorite tracks on the album that feels like a back and forth argument with yourself. The devil on one shoulder and angel on the other and then Pourzand & Brady singing together: ‘Cause while you sit and drink yourself/ You never would have let her’ makes the apex of this song incredibly powerful.

They continue singing together on “Clairebourne Practice”, a standout track on this album which kicks in full volume with a swell of shoegaze guitar reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine’s “Feed Me With Your Kiss”. Julie explains, “It’s two voices conflicting and crashing with each other, unable to understand each other. The way the vocals are layered on top of each other in this song is maybe the most androgynous on the album. But it’s two people saying the same thing and still not hearing each other. We definitely wanted the loud and quiet parts to be polar opposites. Sweet, then destructive, and coming back and repeating the cycle.”

The closing track “Stuck In A Car With Angels” is a slow build, sparse, with just vocal and guitar until two and half minutes in when it explodes after the line “I want to follow you home” that is one of my favorite moments of the entire album.

Julie made a conscious decision to not just be a band but also an art collective. They’re responsible for all of their artwork and care about every detail of the project. They rehearse diligently to record their music live and with the mysteriousness of their online presence, the overall imagery and palette, knowing the decisions are being made equally in 3 parts on everything makes every release incredibly special because you know it’s just the way they wanted it.

With the release of My Anti Aircraft on a major label, could this mean a very small beginning of mainstream music getting cooler? ‘my anti-aircraft friend’ feels like “You Make Me Realize” and the cold dampness of the UK while holding what America does and did well which makes it sultry. They very much feel their influences and the listener will too while they engulf you in nostalgia that’s dark and foreboding and makes you want to visit that place again and again.