In 2020, julie burst onto the scene with it’s debut single “flutter.” I was in love, buying its first three releases on bandcamp, ordering its first two merch drops and attending its first Portland show at Polaris Hall. Now, nearly four years later, the trio from Los Angeles has released their debut album, “my anti-aircraft friend.”
This debut sounds like a well polished death machine, ground down by all the abrasive tracks coming before it. Building off of the strong foundation they had with singles like “flutter” and their 2021 EP “pushing daisies” has resulted in an ear-blaster, door-rocker and absolute killer of an album.
Three singles preceded this album: “catalogue,” “clairbourne practice” and “very little effort.” These are strong and loud songs, but they fail to capture what exactly was in store for the group’s debut album. “My anti-aircraft friend” sees the band slow down and heavily lean into their influences; from the loud to quiet dynamics of Sonic Youth to the wall-of-sound barrage of guitar and bass of Swirlies. And of course, shrieking, beautiful instrumentals.
Julie uses these influences and manages to keep it contemporary: good luck finding a capital letter in their ever-growing discography. The band members, Keyan Pourzand, Dillon Lee and Alexandria Elizabeth, are somewhere in between 22 and 23, with no concrete proof of their exact age.
In the first non-single track of the album, “tenebrist,” Alexandria’s bass takes the forefront. It amazes me how only three instruments can create such an explosive climax as the one at the end of this track.
“feminine adornments” has become the most streamed track of the album — not including the singles. It’s easy to see why; the song is clean while remaining as hardcore as julie can get. While the track is rather sparse in its lyrics, the ones it contains are poignant. The song’s chorus, “I’ll defile, I’ll be clean, I’ll be meat on the wall,” has stuck with me since the release of the song because of the harsh word choice and sickly sound. An easy to like, hard-to-digest track that perfectly encapsulates julie’s music.
Following “feminine adornments” is another standout “ill cook my own meals.” This track highlights the slower pace of the album, yet it has one of the heaviest riffs. The song seemingly teases an up in tempo, before restraining itself and containing the sludginess of the track within its own walls. It also has some fantastic and vivid images with lines such as “Shaolin monks, they finally freak,” and “It opens your eyelids to let you breathe.”
Following up “i’ll cook my own meals” is a sort of reprisal of “feminine adornments,” the penultimate track “piano instrumental.” There is no piano in this track and it borrows lyrics from the aforementioned “feminine adornments.” However, this duet is much more sporadic and creates a sonic whiplash from the wailing guitars to the mellowed out drumming.
The closing track “stuck in a car with angels” truly feels like what the title depicts. The song has what is now a classic julie trait of a slow start and an epic conclusion, building up intensely throughout its duration until it explodes into a beautiful, mad melody. And what a way to close an album, as it’s easily one of the highlights of this band’s discography.
Julie is a band littered with young angst. They sing of crows, troubled kids and smoke-filled rooms; but the angsty young adults have seemingly found their place as some of our generation’s best rockers with a captivating debut.
Turning on “my anti-aircraft friend” might be the last mistake you ever make, because once you turn it on, good luck turning it off.
