Julia Jacklin – The Hardest Thing
How can you love someone without asking for proof of their love first? This internal conflict exists in “The Hardest Thing”, which is the new single by Julia Jacklin (her third) off of her upcoming album ‘The Gem’ coming to stores everywhere Sept. 25th. This will be her 10 track fourth album, as well as her first under the label 4AD. The record was produced by long time friend Robert Muinos in an upstairs apartment above a pub called The Gem in Melbourne.
It follows Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon) (W25) and I Wish (W29), the two singles we’ve already covered from the record. Where those pulled the album’s push and pull between love and freedom in different directions, “The Hardest Thing” plants itself right in the middle of it. Built on a straightforward, mid-tempo strum from guitarist Jacob Diamond and a chorus big enough to carry the doubt underneath it.
“The Hardest Thing” leans hardest into the record’s central tension: “I want to love and be loved, but I also want to be free.” Jacklin has called that the question underneath her whole life, and this song works it from the skeptical side, doubting a partner’s declaration before it’s even landed. I like that the arrangement stays simple around it, mostly guitar and voice, and lets the doubt do the work instead of dressing it up.
North America
- Oct. 20 / San Diego, CA / The Observatory North Park
- Oct. 22 / Los Angeles, CA / The Wiltern
- Oct. 23 / San Francisco, CA / The Castro Theatre (sold out)
- Oct. 24 / San Francisco, CA / The Castro Theatre
- Oct. 26 / Portland, OR / Crystal Ballroom
- Oct. 27 / Vancouver, Canada / Commodore Ballroom (sold out)
- Oct. 28 / Seattle, WA / The Moore Theatre
- Oct. 30 / Salt Lake City, UT / Metro Music Hall
- Oct. 31 / Denver, CO / Gothic Theatre
- Nov. 2 / Dallas, TX / Studio at Bomb Factory
- Nov. 3 / Austin, TX / Radio/East
- Nov. 4 / Houston, TX / White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs)
- Nov. 6 / Atlanta, GA / Variety Playhouse
- Nov. 7 / Nashville, TN / Brooklyn Bowl
- Nov. 9 / Carrboro, NC / Cat’s Cradle
- Nov. 10 / Washington, D.C. / Lincoln Theatre
- Nov. 11 / Pittsburgh, PA / Mr. Small’s Theatre
- Nov. 13 / Minneapolis, MN / First Avenue
- Nov. 14 / Chicago, IL / The Riviera Theatre
- Nov. 15 / Toronto, Canada / Danforth Music Hall
- Nov. 17 / Montreal, Canada / Théâtre Beanfield
- Nov. 19 / Brooklyn, NY / Brooklyn Paramount
- Nov. 20 / Boston, MA / Royale
- Nov. 21 / Philadelphia, PA / Union Transfer
Europe
- Nov. 30 / Liverpool, UK / Jacaranda (rescheduled in-store show and signing)
- Dec. 1 / Nottingham, UK / Rough Trade (rescheduled in-store show and signing)
- Feb. 13 / Birmingham, UK / Town Hall
- Feb. 14 / Manchester, UK / Albert Hall
- Feb. 15 / Dublin, Ireland / National Stadium
- Feb. 17 / Glasgow, UK / Barrowland Ballroom
- Feb. 18 / Bristol, UK / Beacon
- Feb. 19 / London, UK / Eventim Apollo
- Feb. 21 / Brussels, Belgium / Le Botanique
- Feb. 22 / Berlin, Germany / Festsaal Kreuzberg
- Feb. 23 / Hamburg, Germany / Kent Club
- Feb. 24 / Copenhagen, Denmark / DR Koncerthuset
- Feb. 26 / Amsterdam, Netherlands / Paradiso
- Feb. 27 / Paris, France / Cabaret Sauvage
- Mar. 1 / Barcelona, Spain / La [2] de Apolo
- Mar. 2 / Madrid, Spain / Sala Mon Live
- Mar. 3 / Lisbon, Portugal / LAV
