Factory girl

JULIA JACKLIN’S FINE DEBUT IS GOOD REASON TO QUIT HER DAY JOB

A few months ago, you’d have found Julia Jacklin slogging away in an essential oils factory in Sydney. Now, you’ll find her touring her debut album Don’t Let the Kids Win; she visits the UK in November. The cosmetic industry’s loss is undoubtedly the music industry’s gain, as Jacklin’s output thus far is a treat: this is a delicate gem of an album that slowly reveals its inner toughness. Jacklin has a voice made for alt-country music — she can coo like a turtle dove and trill like a lark — and used to sing in an indie-Appalachian folk band. Don’t Let the Kids Win has further nods to US culture: notably the end-of-the-prom lull of singles “Pool Party” and “Leadlight”. But where the album really shows its strength is in the subtle experiments with genre and sound: the driving indie-pop of “Coming of Age” contrasts beautifully with the drowsy reverb on the title track. Throw in Jacklin’s knack for lyrics (even Zach Braff somehow gets worked into a song) and it’s an intriguing debut, perhaps essential.

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Don’t Let the Kids Win (Transgressive) is out now