Julia Sanders explores the unknown, accompanied by strong melodies and groovy rhythms.
90% of the universe is made up of mass we can neither measure nor understand. Asheville-based artist Julia Sanders takes this cosmic fact and rolls with it, using the idea of the unknown and perhaps unknowable to channel life’s uncertainty into eleven songs that make up her third album, ‘Dark Matter‘. It is an album dense with gentle grooves and dedicated to big questions such as “Is there any such thing as true contentment? What happens when we die? and What’s, the point of this life?”. Musically, the core of the album is based around guitar, bass, and drums, with flourishes of synth and pedal steel to add interest and variety, over which Sanders sings in a vulnerable, expressive style.
Title track ‘Dark Matter’, with the line “This girl’s been asking why since she was just a kid” sets out the thematic arc of the collection – that there is more that we don’t know, but it’s always worth trying to understand. The artist does not claim to provide answers but suggests that rather than letting the unknown overwhelm, best just accept it and acknowledge that that life can be simply for living. This idea is best expressed in the album’s two outstanding tracks. ‘Strawberry Moon’, with its west coast rolling groove, lilting lyrics and even a moon-and-June rhyme that actually works along with ‘Drive this town’, which pulses with a driving bass line and droning drum beat to provide a soundtrack to teenage rebellion in a landscape of dusty backroads and late-night diners. Sanders’ ability to pen a catchy melody continues in ‘Dearer than Dear’, with its groovy organ, guitar riff and vocals reminiscent of Florence and The Machine. ‘Star Stickers‘ and ‘My Body‘ take the pace down a notch and see Sanders returning to meditations on parenthood begun on the 2022 album ‘Morning Star’ (Julia Sanders “Morning Star” – Americana UK), this time looking deeper into her relationships with her children and own mother.
Contradictions in the human condition feature strongly in Sanders’ songs. ‘Unsatisfiable’ puts the apparent unlimited choice of modern living and consumerism under the spotlight to explore why we find it difficult to settle, and that spotlight turns inwards for ‘What’s wrong with me?’ to look at how we are each full of conflicting desires. Sanders is an astute lyricist and pithily concludes that “Pursuit of happiness / It was there at the start / Like it’s something you chase / Instead of something you are.”
‘Dark Matter’ sets out to ask questions, rejecting the unsatisfactory answers that are handed down from conventional wisdom and instead offering up an acceptance of not knowing. Attempting to tackle such ‘big questions’ could translate into sombre, navel-gazing clichés, which Sanders skillfully avoids with sharp lyrics, strong melodies, and quirky, unpolished vocals. This is a lo-fi production which has a pleasing roughness without being shoddy or lacking production value. There is something for every mood here, and it is an album that becomes increasingly engaging with repeated listens.
