Julius Black NEW EP ‘TOGETHER WE GO DOWN IN THE DARK’ IS OUT NOW

Stirring alt-pop experimentalism with a fascination for existential themes and ’60s-tinged melodies, Julius Black consistently hones in on a space that’s both fresh and immediately accessible. It’s a style that’s been heralded as something special by a range of tastemakers, earning the 21-year-old comparisons with Rex Orange County, Frank Ocean, Phoebe Bridgers and The Beach Boys.

 
Having recently swelled with growing acclaim with the singles ‘Do You Still Dream?’ and ‘Boomerang’, Julius today shares his brand new EP ‘Together We Go Down In The Dark’ along with its title track and new single.

Partially inspired by his own experiences, the EP presents an episodic story of a relationship that slumps from light to darkness. Opener ‘Red Flags’ overwhelms the warning signs with a youthful sense of excitement and abandon, but the situation gradually becomes chaotic. The relationship is all over by the closing song ‘Cellophane’, which questions how one person can simultaneously inspire infatuation and despair.
 
Julius says, “I wanted to make this project darker and sinister, but make the music more major and brighter.  The EP is about a hero who slowly descends into madness and becomes a villain after falling into a crazy toxic relationship. Musically, I became obsessed with The Beatles. I love the sound of the mellotron and cool creative panning effects, and felt super inspired to do my own version of something like that.”
 
That Beatles influence is prevalent in the melodic and psychedelic elements of the title track, but the production finds an unusual halfway house between intimate bedroom pop and some of the off-kilter sonics deployed in Kanye West’s more melodic moments. Julius’s whispered vocals also play up the song’s feeling of growing dependency and paranoia.
 
He adds, “‘Together We Go Down In The Dark’ is about the chaos that comes with addiction (to a lover, a substance, an ambition). At first it’s a beautiful thing: you’ll let them in with open arms. Then you rely on the kick, let your boundaries slip, and you’re a soon a slave to the feeling.”
 
The EP is completed by two other new songs. ‘Boomerang’ draws on elements of Julius’s appreciation of Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel ORANGE’, while ‘Cellophane’ complements its themes with a detached, dreamlike sound. Julius wrote all five songs, with key contributors including producer Struan Finlay and writer Joe Faris.
 
A New Zealander with Chinese family heritage, Julius Black studied classical music from a young age. His discovery of artists as varied as Frank Ocean, James Blake and David Bowie pushed his interests towards production and songwriting. Later inspired by Moses Sumney, boylife and Chelsea Jade, he released his debut EP ‘Dopamine’ last year.
 
Being able to honestly express himself and connect with others is a big part of his passion for music, as is the delayed gratification of suddenly discovering an idea that makes a previously incomplete idea come to life. Julius is now working on putting together a live band, and hopes to tour Europe and North America in the near future.
 

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