“Gothic Babe Tendencies”
This review was originally written for Music Scene Media.
The incredibly talented Julia Wolf released her newest track, “Gothic Babe Tendencies” on December 1 as a collab with blackbear. The New York native is gearing up to drop her debut LP Good Thing We Stayed on January 13. Wolf has been releasing music for several years and has developed a signature sound making her completely unforgettable.
As “Gothic Babe Tendencies” opens, only an acoustic guitar accompanies Wolf’s voice. Her beautiful and rich vocal tone takes the spotlight. She’s filled with emotion as her voice conveys yearning, nostalgia, and trepidation. Wolf is in a bit of a crisis – she met someone who makes her feel like a teenager again, but her “gothic babe tendencies” keep any emotional investment at arm’s length. She’s a self-saboteur, only sticking around for the fun and running away before she can get hurt.
Wolf expertly blends an indie sound with the edginess of a pop punk track. After the first chorus, dreamy and almost haunting harmonies join her vocal melody, bringing a bit of life to the overall effect. The instrumental arrangement changes in the second verse, too. The original acoustic is augmented with a shimmery electric guitar, bass, and persistent kick drum. The second chorus finishes, and blackbear steps in. blackbear’s feature is an incredibly smart move – he effortlessly fits himself in to the track. His signature sound and heavily edited vocal complements Wolf’s, but he also expertly tailored his rhymes and tone to blend with the track’s voice and storytelling. Wolf finishes the track on a hopeful note, asking if it would be so bad if she chose to face the sun this time, and the acoustic guitar fades out.
