Julian Never

Julian Never is the latest perch for pop chameleon Julian Elorduy. A packed past finds Julian among the ranks or at the head of beloved bands like Mayyors, The Ex-Rippers, and Vichy Water. Though the evolution of Julian Never seems to stem from his time fronting Fine Steps, the short-lived but well-respected outfit he formed with members Ganglians and The Mantles. With a solo record carving up space in between, Fine Steps’ end and present day, Elorduy has now honed his pop into an amalgamation of smudged New Wave, jangle-pop, and Power Pop’s more late night entries.

The songs on Pious Fiction pull at the threads of the genres until they begin to fray and tangle with one another. Earnest jangles get dipped in the oil n’ neon glow of his New Wave tendencies, slicking his pop into dark, radiant hooks. Elorduy’s resonant croon twists over the strums like smoke, striking a balance between Nick Cave and John Foxx. The album takes a while to take root, packed with hooks, but finding its way into the listener’s brain with its more subtle textures over time. Elorduy’s been a pop fixture for years now, but Julian Never seems to have brought all of his impulses into focus.

Suppport the artist. Buy it HERE.