Philly-rooted artist Julia Pratt is XPN’s July 2024 Artist To Watch. Since her first single, 2018’s “All the Girls are Crazy,” Pratt has cultivated a singular folksy sound that’s somehow both ethereal and grounded. Recently, she’s collaborated with Mt. Joy on single “A Little Love” and released her latest EP, Family Feud on May 10th.
Family Feud is a powerful exploration of identity. It’s beyond haunting – Pratt’s vocals soar and lyrics like “I bade the blue moon cometh / I long to fight for somethin’ / if just to prove I’m not like you” from “Michael” will stay with you for hours after listening. In the short film, told in vignettes mirroring each song, Pratt’s spirit navigates both her childhood home and the natural world.
“The stories behind these songs are all rooted in my childhood/adolescent experiences with emotional abuse, mental illness, drug addiction, abandonment, and lack of belonging felt both within my family and in the world at large,” she said in an interview with Two Story Melody. “Those feelings and thoughts have carried into my adult life now, and there came a point about a year ago that I really just felt the urge to purge everything and get it out.”
Julia Pratt will be supporting The Japanese House at Franklin Music Hall on July 26th and will be performing at the XPoNential Music Festival September 22. Tickets and more information available on XPN’s Concert Calendar.
Listen to the new EP here or watch the Family Feud short film below.