Julia Jacklin has released her fourth album, The Gem, a stripped-back record made in a cramped studio above the Collingwood pub that inspired its name.
The Melbourne-based songwriter spent a year and a half recording with producer Robert Muinos at Rat Shack, a small space above The Gem. The room included a piano in an old laundry and a persistent leak from the ceiling, while the work was carried out around the pub’s kitchen, neighbours and other businesses in the building.
“It felt like I was in the world while making music instead of tucked away in a hidden studio, which is usually how it goes,” Jacklin said.
Jacklin and Muinos often worked with Looking For Alibrandi playing on a television near the mixing desk. The film was shown in cinemas during its 25th anniversary celebrations, prompting the pair to attend a screening and ask actor Kick Gurry, who played Jacob Coote, for a photograph.
“I never ask people for photos,” Jacklin said. “I’ve seen that movie a thousand times, and it’s a perfect movie … We either watched that or The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
Julia Jacklin’s new album embraces lo-fi recording
The album follows three acclaimed records: Don’t Let the Kids Win, released in 2016, Crushing in 2019 and Pre Pleasure in 2022. After the orchestral and electronic elements of her previous work, Jacklin wanted to give herself permission to make something more intimate and lo-fi.
She cited records by Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris among the music that influenced the approach, and said she no longer felt compelled to make every album more elaborate than the last.
“I love Pre Pleasure, but I thought I had to elevate the production so it was a very different process,” she said. “Whereas with this one, I allowed myself to make something that I actually enjoy listening to.”
The resulting recordings retain sounds from the surrounding environment, including street noise and sirens. The instruments are close and physical, with the movement of fingers across guitar strings and fretboards audible alongside Jacklin’s warm vocals.
The songs continue her exploration of love, relationships and personal freedom, while also returning to her longstanding interest in God and the limits of human understanding. Jacklin said the title track “If I Had the Hand of God” reflected the demands of a career that can take her away from family and life at home.
“It’s truly just very relentless,” she said, describing the work. “I do believe that I’m doing something good with my life, and I am communicating with people and helping myself and therefore others feel. But it means that you also can’t be the best person at home, which I’ve always struggled with.”
Jacklin also spoke about the strain of promoting an album, particularly during a campaign in which interviews are frequently filmed and turned into short-form content. She said she had once felt physically unwell after speaking too openly.
“I think when I was younger, I was so desperate to be understood,” she said. “I used to feel ill [after interviews] because I would’ve said too much, I would’ve given too much away, because it felt good in the moment.”
Despite that discomfort, Jacklin said she valued music journalism and regarded serious engagement with artists’ work as an important part of the relationship between musicians and the public.
This year also marks 10 years since the release of Don’t Let the Kids Win. Jacklin said returning to its title track had become more affecting with time, and that she had come to understand more fully its meditation on ageing and the passage of time.
Jacklin will perform at The Gem in Collingwood on Saturday and Sunday.
