The “incredible” song that pulled Julia Jacklin out of her songwriting slump
Julia Jacklin has carved out a space for herself as the voice of 20-something women everywhere through her vulnerable, guitar-driven contemplations of love, family, and self. Amidst a rising sea of sad girls, she has somehow set herself apart from the rest. Pairing soft strums and snares with intimacies you would usually only find scribbled in a diary, Jacklin has become a staple in the record collections of indie lovers.
Her most recent full-length release, Pre-Pleasure, marked Jacklin’s most considered and coherent work yet, a meditation on religion, tenderness, motherhood, and everything in between. The record seems to flow out of Jacklin effortlessly, a masterful sequel to the suitably titled Crushing in 2019. Despite this feeling of continuity, the Aussie artist seemingly experienced a songwriting slump between the two albums, one only Weyes Blood could pull her out of.
Naming the last track she had really dove into in an interview with Radio Milwaukee, Jacklin picked out ‘Everyday’ from Weyes Blood’s ethereal fourth studio record, Titanic Rising. She explained: “It’s one of those songs where I heard it, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ and then I watched the music video and played it again. I was like, ‘Damn, that’s good.’ And every time I listen to it, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s an incredible song.’”
The impact of the track on Jacklin was so profound that it reminded her of her own love for writing at a time when she was struggling to see it: “It’s just one of those songs that hit me and made me go, ‘Ahhh, I want to write more songs.’ I haven’t felt that in a while, I’ve felt pretty, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t know if I ever will write a song again.’ It’s very tiring, and then I heard this song, and I was like, ‘I love writing songs!’”
‘Everyday’ marked the second single from Weyes’ Blood’s 2019 record, Titanic Rising. Over a potent piano melody and vocal sighs, Weyes Blood, also known as Natalie Mering, contemplates the trials and tribulations of modern dating. “True love is making a comeback for only half of us, the rest just feel bad, doomed to wander in the world’s first rodeo,” she declares.
Between her poetic lyricism and accompanying otherworldly soundtrack, it’s no surprise that Jacklin was inspired by ‘Everyday’. The two songwriters occupy the same sphere, penning honest tracks about their experiences of modern love and the anxieties it brings. In her admiration for Weyes Blood’s artistry, Jacklin rediscovered her own love for writing.
Listen to ‘Everyday’ by Weyes Blood below.
