Julian’s Longing is brief but intense

A repeating guitar motif, some singing, and suddenly you find yourself smack in the middle of the first track of Julian‘s newest EP, Longing. The second song, “Plant a Tree” moves at a quick pace as well, with frontperson Jay Leiby singing in a voice that gains traction until the vibrant, echoing chorus. The project as a whole is brisk, but packed with emotion.

Not too long ago, Leiby revealed to The Key that “She Follows” is about depression as personified by a bad relationship. Contextualized in the larger framework of Longing, the meaning behind the song seems to expand even further. It seems almost as if the narrative weaves itself throughout the EP in spirit if not directly when Leiby sings “I want to see you leave” a song earlier in “Plant a Tree.”

“Four Years” begins with light guitar that takes on an almost harp-like quality before the song begins to wrap you up into Leiby’s scenario — “She’s gone four years, but I still feel the pain.” Again, this song roots itself in what feels like an emotional remembrance that is all at once relatable but seemingly a deeply personal anecdote. The concluding “Bike” is exactly what it feels like to remember a summer day. The song is warm, but there is an underlying sense of (perhaps quite obviously) longing.

Every track on Longing is relatively short. Over half of the tracks don’t even make it to two minutes. And yet, each song manages to say everything that it needs to, leaving an impact despite its brevity. There is a general feeling of honesty to everything sung on this EP that leaves the listener captivated throughout.

You can take a listen to Longing below and be sure to follow Julian’s Facebook page for more.