Apparently the new cool kid thing is to “emulate” ’90s alt-rock (as opposed to begging, borrowing, and stealing from the ’70s and ’80s.) If you’ve been reading this noble publication for a while, you know that that’s the last musical trend I’ll complain about it. It’s one thing to cop a few chord progressions from Nirvana, though, and another to build upon something that’s already good. Juleah, hailing from Austria, is cresting the wave with her newest release.
Melt Inside the Sun deftly combines the heavy bass and driving melodies of the ’90s with free-flowing, psychedelic guitar riffs. Her voice will call to mind some of the great female-fronted acts of the day like Poe, Mazzy Star, and Garbage. But Juleah’s instrumental tracks show off her and her band’s skill: rooted in the melody, these songs never drift off into abstraction or musical masturbation. This is absolutely music for a dreamy summer afternoon, and it is Adobe & Teardrops approved.