Julia Blair - Better Out Than In (2022)

Singer/songwriter Julia Blair first made her name in the indie folk world as part of the Wisconsin country rock group Dusk and the experimental folk collective Holy Sheboygan. During that time, she also co-founded the Crutch of Memory Enterprises label and recording studio. However, later this week Blair is striking out with her first full-length solo album, Better Out Than In, released via Crutch of Memory. The full album is out everywhere on February 24th, but you can get an early listen to the record below, premiering with Under the Radar.

Better Out Than In sees Blair breaking out of the boundaries of indie folk, instead exploring the broader world of chamber pop, soul, and gentle salves of singer/songwriter intimacy. She first touches on playful bursts pop soul with highlights like “Relax” and “Just a Cue,” interspersing them within string-driven swells of chamber pop like “Make The Darkness Go Away.” Elsewhere, her musical roots in folk and classical music shine through with introspective folk compositions and gorgeous ballads such as the closer, “Waste Away.” Laced throughout, Blair offers three heartfelt lullabies, simply titled “Lullaby One,” Lullaby Two,” and “Lullaby Three.” With each track, Blair marries her range of disparate styles with effortless grace and sweet crooning vocals, enlacing pop melodies with tremendous homespun beauty.

On the concept behind the album, Blair shares: “Better Out Than In was produced over the course of three years at our in-house studios at the Crutch Of Memory compound in Appleton, Wisconsin - in the heart of the “Fox River Valley”. Crutch of Memory was established several years ago, mostly as a private studio for the creative output of members of Dusk and Tenement. Since then, it’s taken on its own identity as a record label and destination recording studio. This album is the second release on our flagship series.

Our goal is to establish a catalog of artists and material that we’re heavily involved and invested in creatively; through songwriting, arranging, performing, and recording. We bring our favorite artists to our neck of the woods and let them swim in our pond, so to speak. Our hope is to bring out what we love most in these artists, and in the process, insert what makes us unique as musicians, songwriters, and producers as well. What we hold important is that we make great records and capture our own individual acoustic: what one could call The Fox River Valley Sound.”