Juliette Memories Fade LP
I have a niece named Juliette. She is full of power, punch and heart—and that’s what the former Polish band JULIETTE also offers up with the release Memories Fade, on Refuse Records out of Berlin. If you yearn for the early ’00s as I always do, you will love this recording. The first track “Inscribed on Your Face” bolts in with a full-on assault in the cultural vein of SAETIA and YOU AND I, so much so that before I looked more further at the link online, I said “I bet these guys are from NJ/NYC.” But nope, straight outta Poland. I couldn’t ascertain if the lyrics were in Polish or English, but the song titles are in English. Several of the other tracks, including “And the System,” have the cozy late ’90s jangle that calls to mind JEJUNE for me, which was music to my ears. I really liked the bass line that “Losing My Hope” started with. Production-wise, as a drummer I thought there was a little overemphasis on guitar in the mix and would have loved to have heard drums a little higher, but overall, this is an excellent album I hope lots of fans of the genre will hear.