On her third album, Julia Jacklin is grappling with being her own worst critic and giving herself a break. “I quite like the person that I am/ Am I gonna lose myself again?” the Australian singer-songwriter asks on the previous single ‘I Was Neon’; “I don’t wanna lose myself again”. The shift in perspective is simple, but one that leads to what is Jacklin’s tenderest and most brilliant record yet.
This act of rediscovering the self lies at the heart of PRE PLEASURE, an album that looks back on the past as a means to move forward. Across ten songs, Jacklin holds a mirror up to the past, all while trying to reclaim herself in the process.
Opener ‘Lydia Wears A Cross’ is a delicate piano track, where Jacklin admits the pageantry of her school days overshadowed actual belief ‘I felt pretty / In the shoes and the dress / Confused by the rest / Could He hear me?”.
‘Lydia Wears A Cross’ is followed by ‘Love, Try Not To Let Go’, a breezy piano led melody which is interrupted with the sudden roar of guitar, making it a beautifully produced and thrilling listen.
Sliding through the jangly, self-aware sound of ‘Ignore Tenderness’ and the heavy riffs of ‘I Was Neon’, we reach ‘Too In Love To Die’. Gone are the catchy rock riffs of track past, in its place a breathtaking almost hymnal track that grips the listener’s attention for the second half of the album.
On ‘Less of A Stranger’, Jacklin utilises gentle guitar hooks and soft, country-style vocals to pick at the generational thread of a mother-daughter relationship with a tenderness which bleeds into the preceding track ‘Moviegoer’.
‘Magic’ is a beautiful slow burn of a track that stunningly captures her desires for intimacy against the backdrop of shame, vulnerability and anxiety as she urges her lover to “wait until I feel safe”.
The penultimate track ‘Be Careful With Yourself’ is a grungy track full of life advice as she reasons with a lover “I’m making plans for my future and I plan on you being in it”.
The blues-soaked final track ‘End of A Friendship’ is full of simple string arrangements, contrasting the less than simple subject matter – navigating friendships, and their end – being explored. There is a lot left unsaid in this track as she lets the gorgeous instrumentals take centre stage, but it perfectly showcases Jacklin’s ongoing journey to find a sense of self and make peace with it.
Words by Jen Rose
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.