Indie rocker Julia Kugel‘s sonic influence is spread across several projects including the bands The Coathangers and Soft Palms, as well as her solo project Julia, Julia. We caught up with Kugel to talk about her tactics when it comes to songwriting, what her favorite tracks of the year were, and her vision for the next 12 months.
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AS: When you’re going to co-write or collaborate with another artist, either for one of your songs or theirs, how do you approach the experience?
Julia Kugel: I like to first establish the vibe of the project—especially when I work on someone else’s track. It usually starts with a conversation about the vision for the song. Then I like to demo some ideas and share the demos to establish the direction. And then I am off figuring out words and finalizing the melody. I approach every song with a collaborative spirit and I enjoy feedback, it opens the door to discussions and better ideas. I love to work with people from all kinds of musical backgrounds because it allows me to explore different parts of my personality and find my place in many musical worlds.
AS: When you write lyrics, what thing or two do you keep in mind—either a technique like alliteration or a way of voicing a story succinctly? Another way of asking this is what tip or trick do you hold close when writing lyrics, if anything?
JK: Lyrics are the most difficult for me to finalize—usually it takes playing the song a few times live for things to really settle in place. Usually I just try to write the truth as I know it or understand it to be. I write words that I would like to say over and over again. A good trick is to demo a song and just sort of mumble words and sounds that feel right with the music. Then I listen back and try to imagine words that might fit with those sounds. I usually end up with a cool stream of consciousness style.
AS: When it comes to news stories of 2023, what was one that really raised your eyebrow when it came to the world of music?
JK: I raised an eyebrow when I read that Spotify is going to pay artists even less for streaming in 2024. We have all opted into a strange system. I believe there must be another way to distribute music digitally and not rip everyone off. It will be interesting to see what happens moving forward. I love the access to music that streaming provides—it is like magic to hear anything at any time. I don’t love the impact streaming services have had on the dynamics within the music industry.
AS: What were your one or two favorite songs or artists or albums from 2023?
JK: Fever Ray “What They Call Us,” N8NOFACE “Kids in Love” and The Smile “Wall of Eyes.”
AS: What are your hopes for 2024 personally, professionally or for the world, looking ahead?
JK: I hope to release more music and to have fun with friends, family and pets as much as possible. The intensity of my hopes for the world is too daunting to express. I can only hope to be kind to the people I encounter and to get the same in return. Happy New Year!
Photo by Scott Montoya / Courtesy Suicide Squeeze
