Julia Andersson blends emotional compositions and explorative improvisations to express her inner self through the acoustic piano. Since getting her start studying classical music as a child, she has gone on to incorporate jazz, ambient, and neo-classical influences to create a meandering style that speaks directly to the heart.
Raised in Finland, Julia first attracted an international following with her debut EP ‘Within, Without,’ which led to future collaborations with Canadian label Moderna Records. Her tracks Promise and Sleepy Meadows were surprise hits, perfectly capturing her imaginative, romantic vision of contemporary piano music.
Julia’s latest release, ‘Dröm’ reflects her steady evolution as an artist. It retains the spirit of her early releases while gently reimagining the possibilities of the piano. Meditative, thought-provoking, and deeply moving, these compositions are the strongest of Julia’s burgeoning career, sure to endear her to an ever-growing audience.
The album opens with a one-two punch. ‘Edith’ and ‘Saknad’ feel like sister songs as they both hit the same warm, cosy feels. The piano is recorded up close and personal and whilst you can hear the hammers, they are faint in the background. This isn’t an album where the piano guts are on display. Instead, it’s showcasing the warmth of the piano through careful and thoughtful melodies. Both are whimsical but with a playful twinkle in their eye – like a grandma reminiscing on her youth. ‘Framtid’ is much more buoyant, moving at pace and lilting up in chords and scales as if the heart is searching for something. It is a track that stood out upon first listen.
The other piece that immediately clicked was the rolling beauty of ‘Svävar’. This sounds like a forest or town theme from a J-RPG and I adore it. A fast, underplayed waltzing left-hand lets a strident right hand let higher notes hang in the air carefree. ‘Ljuv’ is far more subdued, like a lonely jazz player. It’s the longest piece on the album and in some ways the least eventful – it’s as if we are wallowing in ourselves. In an album feel of luscious warm tones, this is the token sad piece.
