22 Nov 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Julia Deans - Single Review: Walking in the Sun

18 Oct 2017 // A review by Paul Goddard
Julia Deans is one of those iconic Kiwi artists who just seems to effortlessly create a beautiful noise. This new release, her first as a solo artist since 2010 is taken from her forthcoming album We Light Fire.

It's upbeat, dancey and a little angsty. A short intro is quickly followed by that unforgettable voice which is sounding very Shirley Manson on this track. The Backbeat pulses and there is a message in the song reflecting on how we could all be so much better off if we weren't so busy holding each other down which I am sure most people can relate to even though it doesn't seem that way sometimes.

Walking in the Sun has a hook that penetrates your head very quickly. It makes you move. No sun is needed to let this song grow on you, the hit is instant. Julia is class A. This is going to be a crowd favourite when she performs it live.

Of course, the production is awesome, the artwork, the musicianship, the songwriting, that voice!

That Julia continues to evolve with every project she is involved in is a testament to her ability and creativity. Walking in the Sun feels fresh and if this is an indication of what we can expect from the rest of the album we are in for a real treat.

Welcome back Julia, even though you never really went away.


Review written by Paul Goddard
 

About Julia Deans

Having first come to the fore as the sassy and beguiling front woman for platinum-selling band Fur Patrol at the turn of the century, the past decade has seen Julia Deans transition from iconic rock chick to glorious songbird.

Deans’ first solo album Modern Fables was released to critical acclaim in 2010, earning her a swag of nominations for several coveted musical accolades including the Taite Music Prize, the APRA Silver Scroll (for A New Dialogue) and Best Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Album at the NZ Music Awards.

Though it has been close to eight years between releases, Deans’ collection of songs We Light Fire, released in 2018, saw her return to the song writing fore enriched with experience and full of purpose. Inspired by world events, friends, and family, the new album examines both what it means to be human, and our spectrum of strength and vulnerability.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Julia Deans

Releases

We Light Fire
Year: 2018
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape
Modern Fables
Year: 2010
Type: Album
A New Dialogue
Year: 2009
Type: EP

Other Reviews By Paul Goddard

Cairo Knife Fight - EP Review: Dream Season
19 Jul 2024 // by Paul Goddard
Cairo Knife Fight have been around a while and been through a lot. Spawned in NZ and now based in the U S of A it has been a journey full of highs and lows.
Read More...
The Dirty Tones - Album Review: Sweet Thang
23 May 2024 // by Paul Goddard
For me, Blues music is the real soul music. It has storytelling like Country and folk music and passion like Rock music, but at its core it gives a window into the soul of the people creating it.
Read More...
Sam Cullen - EP Review: Love Again
18 Apr 2024 // by Paul Goddard
When I first heard this brand-new EP from Invercargill native Sam Cullen, I was immediately reminded of another famous Sam who has an equally famous last name (Fender).The four songs on the Love Again EP  have a familiarity and similarity with roots going back to Springsteen and the well-trodden stadium rock road but there is also something in the songs on Love Again that could only be grown in New Zealand.
Read More...
Skitch Hiker - Single Review: Slippery Wet Handshake
30 Jun 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Wow.Just when you have given up on music and banging your head against a brick wall wondering why Taylor Swift is more popular than toilet roll during a pandemic something like this comes along.
Read More...
Retro Valley - Single Review: Backseat Lovers
19 May 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Right from the opening bars of Backseat Lovers by Hamilton-based Retro Valley it is clear that this song is pure class.This 3-minute tune is a next-level lesson in how to create, perform and produce a pop/indie classic.
Read More...
Murmur Tooth and Lars Moston - Album Review: No Time To Explain
19 May 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Collaborations can work. Sometimes they do most of the time they don't.
Read More...
Album Review: Sex Dad's Greatest Hits: The Very Best Of Sex Dad
27 Dec 2022 // by Paul Goddard
Feeling bloated and underwhelmed. Listening to mainstream radio in the car as I left my phone at home.
Read More...
Marrow Neck - EP Review: Made Up
23 Nov 2022 // by Paul Goddard
Sitting here in a very wet and cold, rainy UK watching the oldies falling out of the local Wetherspoons where they have been on the piss since 9am (yep the UK is weird it's only the old people who can afford to get pissed all day).I am reflecting on the past as I listen to the latest EP Made Up from Auckland-based Mark Hannington.
Read More...
View All Articles By Paul Goddard

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem