Julia Jacklin Returns With ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’-Inspired ‘Lydia Wears a Cross’
Julia Jacklin has returned with “Lydia Wears a Cross,” the first taste of her new album, Pre Pleasure.
The single opens with the dense patter of a drumkit, as Jacklin’s lush vocals enter. The video — shot by her longtime collaborator Nick Mckk — features the Australian singer-songwriter in Split Point Lighthouse in Victoria, sporting a raincoat.
“The song is about a lot of things, but mainly being a 7-year-old Jesus Christ Superstar fanatic attending Catholic school, trying to figure out which way is up,” Jacklin says, while the song’s first verse directly references the 1971 musical: “Lydia wears a cross/Says she’s never gonna take it off/We sit back to back/Listening to Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack.”
Pre Pleasure, out Aug. 26 via Polyvinyl, follows Jackin’s excellent 2018 album Crushing. The new record was made directly after her lengthy Crushing tour, cut in Montreal. She’ll kick off a trek supporting Pre Pleasure on the day of the album’s release, in Stanford, California.
“A lot of the time I feel like I need to do all the work before I can enjoy my life,” Jacklin said. “Whether that’s work on songs or sex, friendships, or my relationship with my family — I think if I work on them long and hard enough, eventually I’ll get to sit around and really enjoy them. But that’s not how anything works is it. It’s all an ongoing process.”
Pre Pleasure Tracklist
1. Lydia Wears a Cross
2. Love, Try Not to Let Go
3. Ignore Tenderness
4. I Was Neon
5. Too in Love to Die
6. Less of a Stranger
7. Moviegoer
8. Magic
9. Be Careful With Yourself
10. End of a Friendship
Julia Jacklin North American Tour Dates:
Aug. 26 – Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater – Here and There Festival
Aug. 27 – Pasadena, CA @ This Ain’t No Picnic Festival
Sept. 09 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Sept. 10 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory
Sept. 12 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Sept. 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Sept. 15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Sept. 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Sept.17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sept. 18 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Sept. 20 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
Sept. 21 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sept. 22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin University
Sept. 23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sept. 24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Sept. 26 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Sept. 27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Sept. 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Sept. 30 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Oct. 2 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Oct. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Oct. 5 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Oct. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Oct. 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
