The Julys

So, a while back I happened to mention a cool little band from here called The Julys; didn’t know a damn thing about ‘em at the time, but I liked what little I’d been able to hear. Then there was a heck of a lot of silence — to be honest, I’d kind of figured the band had called it a day, as so many bands do before they really get a chance to come into their own.

Happily, that’s turned out not to be the case. I got an out-of-the-blue email from Julys guitarist/vocalist Allen-Michael a few days ago, giving a bit of a heads-up on the band; seems the silence wasn’t all in my head, after all, but rather the band taking a bit of a break. They’re back at it now, however, and are currently prepping to record a real-live EP.

In the meantime, they got a cheerily-named video-maker who calls herself MAGIC CHILL to make them a video for new song “Bowie”, seemingly out of old-old-old dinosaurs-and-biplanes B-movie footage. (What, don’t all dinosaur movies also have biplanes? Work with me here, people…).

The video’s quirky and neat — I catch myself foolishly trying to decipher the plot — but the music’s the real star here, to be sure, all half-desperate, speeding, bouncing indie-pop with rough-yet-sweet vocals, a ton of jangly guitars, and totally un-ironic handclaps. Fans of fellow Houstonians The Wild Moccasins (or of catchy, sharp, propulsive indie-pop in general), you need to be paying attention. Oh, and I get a nice Guided By Voices vibe from the whole thing, too, which is never a bad thing.

Keep an eye on ‘em, folks, seriously…


- Space City Rock

Mentioned this one earlier in the week, because This Year's Tiger dropped off the bill, but like I said then, I think the show's still well worth watching for Holy Fiction alone -- what I've heard of 'em has been pretty damned impressive, enough to earn a spot in our SCR Mixtape. I've liked what little bits & pieces I've heard from new (and un-Googleable) additions The Julys, too, so get up there early. - Space City Rock

Which brings us to Sunday - Juzcoz has their EP release at Isis, B L A C K I E is at Mango's, The Meridian is playing host to an all-day So-Cal punk "invasion," and Super Happy Fun Land is host to Two Star Symphony and I Am Mesmer. We'd like to be everywhere, but we're not going to miss the show at The Mink, with one-man music-machine Benjamin Wesley, Finnegan, Prairie Cadets, and The Julys. That lineup is stacked. - The Houstonist

Saturday we'll make our weekly pilgrimage to Cactus Music for some afternoon beer and great music, this time courtesy of brilliant local songwriter Robert Ellis. We'll pass on D12 and (hed) PE - we want to make sure that we catch The Julys at The Mink. Seriously, they're fantastic and no one knows them yet so get on that train early. Then, take a walk with us down to the other corner and capitalize on your opportunity to see Houston legend Archie Bell. - The Houstonist