Osheaga 2018 Friday
photo by Em Grey

Julien Baker covers Radiohead, shares "Heatwave" from new LP

Julien Baker‘s anticipated new album, Little Oblivions, is out on Friday (2/26), and ahead of its released she’s shared one final single, “Heatwave,” which you can stream below.

“Maybe it’s a trite or well-trod topic, but ‘Heatwave’ is really just about being confronted with how much time I spend worrying about things that are trivial,” Julien writes. “I was stuck in traffic because a car had randomly combusted, and it made me feel so stupid for being concerned with the things I had been anxious about earlier that day. It was just such a poignant thing, an event that communicated a lot of complex things in a single image. So I wrote a song about it. I know I’m not the first person to witness an atrocity and consider my own mortality or life’s fragility because of it, but that truly was my experience. Theoretically the lesson or symbolism to be interpreted there is that life is precious and it’s not worth it to give your time and energy to negative thoughts, but jesus, how could you be a person alive on earth right now and not have negative thoughts? It’s certainly less romantic to say that the consideration of life’s fragility made me feel relieved at my own inconsequence, but it’s true; it is comforting to think of the minuscule role everyone plays in the human drama, to realize we have more choice about what we give power over us than we maybe thought.”

UPDATE: Julien is streaming a SiriusXMU (home of BrooklynVegan Blog Radio) session tonight (2/24), and Stereogum points out that she’s shared a new cover ahead of the full session. It’s a very faithful rendition of Radiohead‘s Kid A-opening “Everything In Its Right Place.” Stream it below.

Meanwhile, Julien will discuss Little Oblivions with Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres, and journalist Jewly Hight on an NPR Listening Party on Friday (2/26), streaming at 2 PM ET on YouTube. She also has a virtual release show for the album happening on March 25, and she’ll participate in a panel discussion about mental health with Gerard Way on March 2.

PS: We have Little Oblivions available to order on black vinyl now in the BrooklynVegan Shop
UPDATE: We also have a reissue of Julien’s 2015 debut, Sprained Ankle, in the shop on baby blue vinyl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYjL1IqMNng