Queens-born alternative artist Julia Wolf says an Australian tour is already booked as she celebrates her sophomore album, Pressure.
They say that love is patient and kind, but opening yourself up to another person can be just as agonising as it is tender. On her sophomore album Pressure, Queens-born alternative artist Julia Wolf embraces that duality, stepping into the shadows with a heavier record steeped in vulnerability. Sonically and lyrically, it marks a departure, shifting her brand of confident pop to something darker, jagged, and post-hardcore-tinged.
“I am just such a sensitive girl,” she explains, “and I take everything to heart.” Referring to her previous releases, she notes: “That kind of confidence and flashiness – the older I get, the more I can’t speak to that…I think I was younger and I was single and like, ‘La-di-da, I’m confident, whatever.’ But I couldn’t resonate with it, especially after falling in love for the first time, and dredging up every insecurity I’ve ever had.”
Julia Wolf’s love story is at the heart of Pressure, but it doubles as a cautionary tale about the brutal exposure that comes with wanting someone else to want you. As the record progresses, she rolls out the red carpet for every anxiety tugging at her self-worth, spotlighting the relentless self-criticism that can sour even the sweetness of new romance.
“I definitely get nervous with songs like ‘Loser’ and ‘Jennifer’s Body’,” she says, “where I really am very revealing about my inner monologue – how I view myself and how negative I can be about my own body image.”
“But while it is an anxiety inducing thing to be so expressive in that way, I’ve reached the point where if I don’t talk about that, I don’t have anything else to say because that is what goes on in my head 24/7. It just is that breaking point where it’s either this or nothing. I have to say it.”
She caveats that she is “always glad when people like that [earlier music]. But it just feels more me now and more empowering to be vulnerable with the new stuff, and it’s cool that that’s what’s connecting with so many people.”
Connecting is an understated word for it, with her viral single ‘In My Room’ drawing over 30 million streams. Julia Wolf has invested years in finding her people and now fosters a community of devoted fans who share the same interests as her (namely, Twilight), with tickets flying out the door for her recent show at Bella Swan’s house. Pressure has paved the path for the career that she’s always dreamed of, but it’s been a long time coming for an artist of her caliber.
The inclination to confront her demons through music hasn’t come out of nowhere for Wolf, who isn’t new to the alternative scene at all. “I can’t say that I do listen to pop,” she admits. She cites The Story So Far and Phoebe Bridgers as her favourite artists and reflects on wearing ties to school after her first concert experience seeing Avril Lavigne. “The more depressing, the better for me,” she laughs. “But now I’ve really gotten into more of just people who push the sound farther. People like 2hollis, I think are so sick. Jane Remover, obviously Ethel Cain.”
The state of the music industry has evolved since we watched Avril Lavigne videos on a loop on MTV, and Julia Wolf has masterfully harnessed socials to amplify the reach of her music. Drake has posted his praise for her numerous times, even attending her show in Toronto earlier this year, while powerhouse peers like blackbear have also cold DM’d via Instagram offering to collaborate (see the outcome with his feature on ‘Gothic Babe Tendencies’ from her debut album, Good Thing We Stayed).
“The funny thing about my socials is that I was posting ‘In My Room’ for a year straight, nothing, nothing, nothing. And then finally it clicked and I was able to really start finding my people that way. I just struggle with being on video and face-fronting kind of promotion.”
“That’s why I always gravitate towards using other things that I love as a means to make it more of a faceless thing and more about the music,” she says. “So I definitely have not always been a social media savvy girl by any means. This is something that took a lot of practice, but I think the more that you post and just get over yourself, the easier it gets.”
Given the hype she’s amassed over the last year, it only follows that demand to see Wolf live has grown globally, with her Australian listeners ready and waiting to pounce. When asked about a trip down under, she lets slip, “I don’t know if I can say it though, because okay, the answer is yes. I won’t say exactly when, but just know that on our side it’s already booked.” She adds: “I see everyone’s comments, always asking, and I can’t wait to be together.”
Beyond touring, Julia Wolf is also planning a deluxe edition of Pressure. “We’ve been on tour so long, but next month we’re locking in to finish it. I know I just put the album out, but I’m already itching to release more music.”
We close the interview discussing the cover art of the record, an image of a woman in suspension that has fast become a signature for Wolf’s brand. It isn’t Wolf herself, but it does encompass who she is and what she’s creating.
“I knew that I wanted it to be body suspension and I reached out to a bunch of different people and so many people were really excited about it. And then I found this one photo. It’s this group of people in Northern Italy who do body suspension and oh my gosh, I saw that photo and I just knew that that was the perfect representation of what the album felt like to me. It was so beautiful, but so jarring.”
Julia Wolf’s Pressure is out now. The deluxe edition is on the way, and an Australian tour is coming soon.
MORE IN News
