I already gushed all over Say Lou Lou‘s entirely brilliant “Julian” a few weeks ago.
This week, the gorgeous Australian-Swedish duo released the Julian EP to iTunes, featuring remixes from the likes of Monsieur Adi, Lissvik, Checan and Martin Dubka, as well as a B-side called “Fool Of Me” with Chet Faker.
Surprising to no one, it’s just as mesmerizing.
Gliding across a dreamy soundscape of ambient sound—a vinyl crinkle here, a gentle, metronome-like tick there—the duo deliver arguably their most devastating production yet, taking on a former flame suddenly gone cold: “You feel no pain? That’s okay, I got plenty left stored up in my chest,” they bitterly croon.
In fact, this is the first time we’ve actually heard the girls get angry: “You made a fool of me, lover/You made a fool of me…how funny,” they cooly deadpan on repeat above heavy piano chords. Except, uh, no one’s laughing.
Chet Faker comes in later; his deeper vocals providing a perfect compliment to the duo’s featherlight whispers.
The bridge, especially, is a staggering blow of lump-in-throat lyricism: “Had a dream that I could teach you how to love/My machine hired to reach inside your ribcage/Flick a switch and you engage,” the girls mournfully coo, as the track slowly fills out with jagged stabs of electronica and pounding drums.
The hurt pouring through the speakers is palpable—this is hardly the stuff of B-side material.
Julian EP was released on May 7. (iTunes)