Julia Jacklin: The Gem review – tender, emotional storytelling of hope and hopelessness

(4AD/Remote Control Records) The Australian musician’s fourth album blends mystery and intimacy with luscious pop-rock, bright, upbeat jangle and stripped-back acoustics Julia Jacklin is an artist of dualities. Over her decade-plus career, the Melbourne singer-songwriter has exam

(4AD/Remote Control Records) The Australian musician’s fourth album blends mystery and intimacy with luscious pop-rock, bright, upbeat jangle and stripped-back acoustics Julia Jacklin is an artist of dualities. Over her decade-plus career, the Melbourne singer-songwriter has examined the question of how to be both vulnerable but protected, spiritual but grounded. Her second studio album and commercial breakthrough, 2019’s Crushing , introduced her to an international audience as an introspective storyteller.

Rich in detail, Crushing delivered tales of heartbreak and betrayal with a kind of quiet impassivity, setting the scene for her own duality as an artist – at once open and reserved. Continue reading...