Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Julia Pratt pens touching and dynamic songs that float somewhere between the soulfulness of R&B and the enchantments of pop. Over the last few years, she’s released two stellar EPs and several ravishing singles while also making a name for herself opening for the likes of Brandi Carlile, The Revivalists, and The Head And The Heart, as well as stunning in multiple appearances on WXPN. She’s currently finishing up a tour with another scheduled for next year, opening up for Mipso around western North America.
Whether she’s wielding a guitar or on piano, there’s very little in the realm of Pratt’s growing discography that you’ll find easy to resist. A background in jazz lends a raw emotionality and melodic dynamism to the music she creates. Her debut single “All the Girls are Crazy” revealed the sheer breadth and sharp poignancy of her ballads — especially when delivered by her dually gleaming and heartwrenching croons.
During the pandemic, Pratt garnered a following with covers and teasing new music via her Instagram. By 2021, she was ready to release her first EP Fallout, which effectively introduced the gentle allure of her glassy vocals paired with sublime instrumentals. Favoring her piano, “Watercolors” and “Take Me Away” are just two of the iridescent beauties to be found among its six soul-soothing and ardent tracklist.
It was then that Pratt started to experiment with her style, darkening her soundscapes with heavily distorted riffs on songs like the haunting “Tried and True,” or embracing buoyant pop lushness on “Fever Dream.” She ended 2022 with a powerfully vulnerable dive into grief with “Odyssey,” an electro-ballad that served as a reminder of the sheer splendor of her lyricism and vocals.
The recent release of her sophomore EP, Two to Tango is the latest chapter in her effort to keep taking risks in progressing her sound. “Hopeless Romantic” finds her familiar piano-led ballads enveloped by a swell of sonorous atmospherics as she offers a gutting vision of heartbreak. Then there’s “A Little Love,” which features a duet with Mt. Joy (another band she opened up for in her rise) that’s made all the more affecting by its folk hues and ghostly vocals.
Visit Julia Pratt on her website, TikTok, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Julia Pratt tour
FEB 17 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
FEB 18 – Goldfield Trading Post – Sacramento, CA
FEB 20 – Domino Room – Bend, OR
FEB 22 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
FEB 23 – Fox Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
FEB 25 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
Listen to Two to Tango the new EP from Julia Pratt.
