[ATTENDED: May 28, 2024] Julian
I have a negative opinion of any musician who goes by one first name. I mean, sure a few people can pull it off (Cher, Adele), but their names are (at least a little) unusual to begin with. It’s weird enough for new artists to go by their first name (Mike, Dave). But it’s bizarre to me that a band would go by a single first name. Enter Julian. I mean, there are several Julian/Julien musicians who do not go by a mononym, so how confusing is it to be this first-named band?
Well, maybe not very. Their bio says
Despite various lineup shifts and relocating from D.C. to Philadelphia, Julian has remained tight-knit, well-worn, and snugly fit around the sharp, soft voice and inner thoughts of vocalist and guitarist Jay Leiby (they/them). Yearning Songs, the project’s fourth EP following a series of one-off singles, invites listeners to come honest and open—to leave with a warm halo of dream-pop and 2000s pop rock glowing in its wake. They are working on a new EP that will be out sometime this summer.
And yet, it’s really hard to search for them online.
Which is a real shame because they were great as openers for Francis of Delirium.
The band was a five-piece with J front and center. They played guitar (but not lead as there weren’t really any solos) and sang. The rest of the band was tight and fit in perfectly. Although I will say that the second guitarist (I didn’t get anyone else’s names) was too quiet in the mix. When he played a lead line in one of the songs it was only there when J’s guitar faded.
But the bass and keys sounded great.
Indeed, I really enjoyed the keys/bass music that the band played while J was tuning. Instead of loops or noise, they played pretty ambient songs.
But the main focus is on J’s songs.
Julian has a few EPs out and most of the songs came from the newest one Yearning Songs.
J plays simple chords, but they use a capo a lot to change the feel of the songs. But the most notable things about the songs is their mostly really short. Most of the songs in the set were about 2 minutes long (no time for a solo).
I enjoyed the two new songs (according to the photo of the setlist, Everything and Picture, as they rocked a little harder and were a little longer. There’s nothing wrong with short songs, but these songs felt more fleshed out. I mean, Crush Song is only 1 minute and 45 seconds long! But it’s really good, with a staccato company that is really catchy.
J’s voice is pretty soft and the melodies are all pretty quiet, but there’s a great rocking vibe underneath and most of the songs rock out for a short time.
They told us that Bike (and older song) was their favorite to play and the band really got into it
I was a little bummed that their set was so short.
- Never B ¥
- Everything [new song]
- Stuck ¥
- Bike £
- Picture [new song]
- Car ⇔
- Crush Song ¥
- Having You Around ¥
⇔ Real Distance EP (2018)
£ Longing EP (2021)
¥ Yearning Songs EP (2022)
I Just Read About That... 