‘Dust around evolving stars…’ - Roxy Jules
If you take a look at a lot of twenty-first century pop records, you’ll see how they’ll have multiple producers, but if you listen to them, you wouldn’t necessarily think the songs involved so many different people. It’s the strength of the artist and the songs that bring it all together, creating a unified sound. The latest EP from Roxy Jules called ‘Still Falling Through The White’ is not a pop record, but the same principle applies.
Image Credit: Johan Lei Gellett
Danish artist Julie Runa has been releasing music under the name Roxy Jules for some time, issuing her albums in volumes bearing this name, the first of which came out in 2011, then 2013, 2016 and finally 2018. I first became aware of her due to her collaboration with TOM And His Computer, most notably on his debut album ‘Future Ruins’, which we wrote about in October 2020. Jules’ vocals and lyrics can be heard on four out of the ten songs and is the only lead vocalist on that record. Roxy Jules’ latest release was preceded by the lead single and music video ‘As White As The White In White Noise’ in mid-March.
A first single really couldn’t generate more of a mood than this song does. Produced by Valentin Kruse, who also worked on Jules’ last two albums, As White As The White In White Noise has a chord progression that gives it an edge, a troubling feeling that something is not quite right. Soundtracked by the eerie bowed guitar playing of Anders Holst and more straightforward playing from Roxy Jules and Manoj Ramdas, this opening song is the longest on the EP. There are no drums, no beats, the tone is all set in those guitar parts, electric and acoustic, a mixture of picked and strumming on the latter. And when you think ‘there should be drums on this part’, there aren’t, making it even more powerful in its defiance of your expectations. It’s incredible really how stripped back the production is, I would love to see a concert opened with this song.
The lyric is as fascinating as the sounds beneath it. It’s this song that gives the EP it’s title; ‘Still falling through a white as white as the white in white noise. For a while I kept looking for pieces of their broken hearts in the streets and behind red cinema back row seats. Now the rest is just scars and dust around evolving stars.’
The minimalistic video was also done in collaboration with Valentin Kruse, a production rendered in black and white, captured in an empty room that somehow embodies the characteristics of this song. Roxy Jules, her back to the window, is cast in shadow and far enough away to not make out the more intimate details of her performance as she plays the acoustic parts of the track.
Meanwhile, ‘Jocelyn’, takes away the stripped feeling of the former song, as it begins with a programmed drum part. Produced by Anders Trentemøller, who also co-produced the TOM And His Computer album, Anders layers multiple sounds to create the buzz of Jocelyn. With electric guitars again from Roxy and Manoj Ramdas, these are more strummed parts rather than the lead electric lines on the first single. The sounds are crunchy, and along with the drums, provide the real meat to this track. In a small section devoid of guitars, you can hear the bassline coming through, which could just as easily be programmed or played live.
One of the things I love about Jocelyn is the imagery in Roxy Jules’ lyrics, especially this line: ‘They were so young back then, looking for the kind of love you read about on the back of cool bookstores’ toilet doors.’ That line immediately transports you to the location and makes you question exactly what kind of love Roxy Jules is talking about.
The second single from this EP also gets a video made in collaboration with Valentin Kruse, with the presentation of the video reflecting the more involved mood in Jocelyn. Despite the bare location and premise of the set, it’s the editing that opens out these shots and turns it into something that makes the audio and visual aspects a unified experience.
The opening beat and guitar riff of ‘Porous & Ivory Black’ reminds me of the soundscapes on the Nine Inch Nails collection ‘Ghosts I-IV’, an entirely instrumental record. Produced by Silas Tinglef, the feel of Porous & Ivory Black is not as relentless as Jocelyn, though still not as sparse compared with As White As The White In White Noise. I really like the added vocal harmony, which takes the best of Roxy Jules’ lower range and combines it with her more powerful upper reach. Anders Holst returns on bowed guitar, while the beat mostly consists of programmed hi-hat and rhythmic bass drum. The guitars are noisy and are the backbone of this track, mixed to perfection to allow their deep impact without taking away from the narrative Roxy Jules lays out.
Lyrically, Jules is at her most poetic amongst these songs on Porous & Ivory Black. The whole lyric here is so interesting, but the stand-out verse, to me, is: ‘The feathers from the angel’s wings are falling towards Earth like snow, walking back through a wildflower meadow, strikingly red lips and a bottle of Bordeaux.’ If this EP existed in a physical package, it would be an essential part of the listening experience to go through the lyrics as the music plays them out.
The final track on Still Falling Through The White is called ‘I Guess It’s Time We Question Things We’ve Ignored’, and is produced by TOM And His Computer’s Thomas Bertelsen. The rhythm runs through this track like a heartbeat, and the guitars ring through like a distant clanging in an abandoned factory. The guitars especially appear to have the loosest structure in anything across this entire EP.
It’s hard not to think there is deeper meaning behind the lyrics on I Guess It’s Time, with Roxy Jules repeating the title of the track multiple times. The final line is particularly interesting: ‘The stories we tell ourselves in order to stay sane are sleeping beneath the footprints we leave behind.’ The concept behind those words is fascinating, and very well deserves a work of its own in exploring it. This whole EP is such a tantalising glimpse into the kind of artist Roxy Jules is, how could I not want to listen to more of her music?
Image Credit: Johan Lei Gellett
1. 'Still Falling Through The White' is the name of your new EP, as well as a phrase in the opening track. What made you choose this particular lyric as the EP title?
Sometimes I get this feeling as if I'm falling through a white of some sort. Backwards. Falling backwards through a white. I can't really describe it. But it's often when I let go of something that needs to be let go of and see life from a new perspective. It's a little scary, but a really beautiful feeling at the same time. Feeling free somehow I guess. And actually I also wrote about it in the song "Rubies & Blood" from my third album. One of my favorite ROXY JULES songs. And while I was writing this EP I thought about this feeling of falling that has been a part of me ever since I was a kid. I also often dream that I'm falling. So the EP is called 'Still Falling Through The White' since that's how I feel now and then.
2. You have a different producer working on each of these tracks, what led to that decision?
I thought it would be interesting to work with different producers and see how they would contribute to the songs differently. I chose producers that I thought could add something to the particular song I was working on.
3. What was it like to work with Valentin Kruse, Trentemøller, Silas Tinglef and Thomas Bertelsen on these songs? Do they all have wildly different approaches to producing?
Yes definitely. They all have different approaches to music and their own way of doing things. I admire all of them and they are all good friends. I hope to work with all of them again.
4. When writing these songs, were they all demoed as vocal/guitar pieces before working on them with the respective producers? Did their arrangements change much in the studio?
I do some really crappy demoes before going to the studio. Normally just a one-take recording on my phone of me playing the song on guitar. Not something I spend a lot of time on. I prefer to start recording right away instead. That means that the arrangements of the songs occur in the studio while recording. I have some ideas beforehand but I also just go to the studio and see what happens between me and the producer.
The story of the song I did with Thomas Bertelsen aka TOM And His Computer is different though. I've been writing the lyrics and singing on some of his songs for his latest EP and his latest album, which I'm really happy he asked me to do. I like working with him. And actually the starting point for 'I Guess It's Time' was something Thomas wrote for a TOM And His Computer song and sent to me. I wrote a lyric and sang it on top of his idea and sent it back to him and he started working on it again. But then he didn't think it would fit that well on his album and wanted to throw the idea away. I thought that was a shame and asked him if I could take over the song and make it into a ROXY JULES song. So I got the song back and had Manoj Ramdas and Anders Holst play some guitar on it and added an extra little beat and some stuff and turned it into a ROXY JULES song.
5. Is 'Jocelyn' based on anybody you know in real life? What inspired that song?
Sometimes I'm terribly restless. And sometimes I feel this deep longing for something that I don't even know what is. I guess a lot of people know those feelings. That's what the song 'Jocelyn' is about. In a way I love this deranged restlessness and constant longing residing in my bones because it has led me to places I would never have ended up otherwise. Sometimes beautifully fucked up places. Luckily I'm also the complete opposite. Someone just longing for peace and quiet. Therefore I also often leave the city and go to the sea. My favorite place to be. The sea in the Northern part of Denmark where I grew up. Or I travel to other shores around the world. Jocelyn is not a real person. But she reminds me of me, or at least a part of me. I guess we all have contradictions fighting in the corners of our minds. That's what makes people so interesting. We are all torn between different longings. That's why some choices are so incredibly difficult to make. Besides from that it's also just a song about love. And the longing for love.
6. You're playing guitar all over these songs, what guitars did you use to record these tracks?
I have an acoustic guitar of the brand Aria and Gretsch baritone guitar and two electric Fender guitars. A Bronco from the 70s and a new Jazzmaster.
7. In addition to yourself on guitar, Manoj Ramdas and Anders Holst laid guitar tracks down too. How did you meet both Manoj and Anders originally?
Manoj Ramdas I met because he came up to me one night where I had played a concert with a band I was in back then and wanted me to join his band SPEkTR. That's maybe about 12 years ago now. I had seen him with The Raveonettes and a bunch of other bands and always liked his playing. I ended up playing with SPEkTR for about 6 years. Great band. And shortly after I joined SPEkTR I started recording the first ROXY JULES album and asked Manoj if he wanted to play some guitar on some of the tracks. Luckily he said yes and he also ended up playing with me live. Ever since he has been a big part of ROXY JULES. Playing on a lot of the tracks and touring with me. He is now one of my best friends and at the moment ROXY JULES' live set up is me and Manoj and a backing track.
Anders Holst I met through Manoj. They were playing in a guitar circle together at some point. Anders releases his own stuff too and plays with different bands as well and I always liked him and his stuff. Therefore I'm very happy he wanted to play the bowed guitar on three of the tracks on the EP.
8. As well as working with Valentin Kruse on 'As White As The White In White Noise', he also worked on the videos for this track and 'Jocelyn'. Were they shot on the same day? What was it like to work on those videos?
Yes, we shot both videos in my living room one afternoon. It didn't take long. I liked the idea of just shooting them in my apartment. Just me and the guitars I used to write the songs. Not so much bullshit. Valentin Kruse I also recorded the latest two ROXY JULES albums with and he used to tour with me for a while. Another great friend that has been a part of my ROXY JULES journey for some years now.
9. I previously wrote about your work with TOM And His Computer on his 'Future Ruins' album, what was that experience like?
I'm so happy Thomas asked me to sing on some of his TOM And His Computer tracks. First of all I really like what he is doing. And besides from that it's interesting to write lyrics to someone else's material and sing on songs that are composed by someone else. In a way it feels completely different.
10. Is there another artist or producer you'd really like to collaborate with that you haven't yet?
YES! There are a lot of people I would like to work with.
11. Looking further ahead, is this EP a precursor to Roxy Jules V? Or is that a long way off yet?
Actually I think I'll be making EPs from now on. For some reason I like this format very much at the moment. I think I'll make a series of EPs where I work with different producers on different tracks.
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Roxy Jules’ latest EP ‘Still Falling Through The White’ is available to download and stream in all the usual places.
For more information about Roxy Jules and where to purchase her albums, visit her official website.
Follow Roxy Jules on Facebook @roxyjulesmusic, and on Instagram @roxy.jules.
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