Julia Faulks arrives with her single “Dig Deep,” and the title itself feels like instructions for listening. You don’t just skim this track; it asks for a shovel, metaphorically speaking. Faulks, hailing from Surrey, sings of a love that’s frankly enormous – the kind that fills the room, rearranges the furniture, and demands constant, devoted attention. It’s that giddy, spinning feeling, yes, but tethered firmly to the earth by the understanding that this particular garden won’t weed itself.
The blend of soul, pop, and jazz feels less like a fusion and more like different states of romantic matter. One moment it’s got the buoyant uplift of pop infatuation, the next, a soulful ache acknowledges the distance, the effort. Then a flash of jazz – a specific brass line caught my ear, actually. It wasn’t smooth; it reminded me, strangely, of the faint taste of ozone just before a huge summer thunderstorm breaks. That same kind of electric anticipation and slight danger. You know something big is happening, potentially overwhelming.
This isn’t just yearning; it’s active maintenance. “Digging deep” implies hitting bedrock, searching within for the reserves to keep this glorious, consuming thing alive against friction and geography. It’s exhausting just thinking about it, yet Faulks imbues it with a vibrant pulse. The track conveys the sheer work involved without crushing the initial thrill.
It leaves you pondering the thermodynamics of intense relationships. Is this level of passionate excavation sustainable, or is the digging itself part of the intoxicating magic?
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