Pōneke singer-songwriter Julia Belle has entered a new chapter that explores longing, nostalgia and the fantasies we create around the people we can’t let go of.
Her upcoming sophomore EP, Aurora, is a natural evolution of the folk-pop foundations of her debut EP, Dreamland. She has expanded her sound into something more cinematic, layered, and emotionally restless while retaining the intimate, confessional songwriting at the heart of her work.
The song began with a strange night spent listening to Pink Floyd with an old flame. When Julia mentioned the aurora, he told her it didn’t exist in this part of the world – before putting on The Dark Side of the Moon.
That surreal moment became the starting point for a song about memory, escapism and the strange ways we romanticise people and moments long after they’re gone.
As references to Pink Floyd weave through the track, ‘Aurora’ has captured the feeling of being caught between reality and the version of someone that exists in your head – knowing something has ended, while still finding yourself returning to it.
“‘Aurora’ is about missing old lovers while knowing you have to leave them behind, and realising you might have to leave parts of yourself behind too,” said Julia.
“It’s that feeling of looking around and wondering, what am I doing here? Am I wasting my life away? It’s nostalgic, messy, and marks the start of a new chapter for me”
While ‘Aurora’ is a sonic shift for Julia, the emotional core of her songwriting has not changed as she continues to draw from heartbreak, nostalgia, feeling out of place, maladaptive daydreaming and escapism, often sitting in the uncomfortable space between pretending you’re doing better and actually not being okay.
As Julia establishes herself as one of the emerging voices in New Zealand’s indie landscape, she will take to the stage at Wellington’s The Undercurrent today, Friday, 25th of September, supporting Floyd Marsden at her Good Times show.
Discover more new music here
