by Delia Rainey (@hellodeliaaaaa)
Julie Doiron is “back,” but she’s always been around, even if you haven’t found her yet. The prolific New Brunswick musician entered the public music sphere in the early 1990s, playing guitar and bass in the first Canadian band signed to Sub Pop, Eric’s Trip. Piecing-together her subsequent projects, you can’t miss Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars (1999), then solo albums through Jagjaguwar in the early 2000s, EPs sung in Spanish in the late 2010s, and a lineup called Julie & the Wrong Guys. There’s a split with Okkervil River, also Nancy Pants, and her appearance on Mount Eerie’s Lost Wisdom albums, and maybe she collaborated with fellow Canadian Chad Vangaalen or maybe not. Of course, there’s more: April 2022 will bring a new album under Julie & Dany, a lockdown-project by Doiron and her partner/collaborator Dany Placard.
While Julie Doiron’s discography is full of discovery, her latest work can stand alone without any context. I Thought of You (You’ve Changed Records, November 2021) is Julie Doiron’s first full-length solo album in almost ten years, yet the record bleeds familiarity. Doiron’s masterful balance of songwriting takes tips from the casual fun of 90s rock, the dynamics of early 2000s indie, and the epic storytelling of old-school folk. Her vague yet heart-stinging lyrics (“here I am, starting over again”) can float inside anyone’s current or past memories, instantly understandable. With this expert restraint (“no need to explain”), Doiron’s sincere music is able to say a lot and feel a lot within accessible arrangements. Each song on I Thought of You leads to the next in a nostalgic stream. The main quality is undeniably the power and calm of Doiron’s voice, explaining a narrative of homecoming, of home-finding.
Recorded as a quartet, I Thought of You combines Julie on vox and guitar alongside super-talent Canadian musicians Daniel Romano (guitar and keys), Ian Romano (drums), and Dany Placard (bass). The upbeat cadence of Ian’s drumming creates journey-like realizations, while Placard’s basslines often hum against Doiron’s lower vocals in slower songs. “You Gave Me The Key,” in an energetic burst to begin the album, acknowledges a “you” who helped show her a new beginning. Daniel Romano’s guitar curlicues around her voice, a clear companion, like the “you” helping to “show the way” for the song. Collaboration is an obvious philosophy for Julie Doiron’s musical life, and the compatible harmony between all four musicians gives the entire album a lively warmth.
These thirteen songs are meant for singing along to, for spending our lives with. Even the quivers in Doiron’s voice are catchy. The title track and standout “I Thought of You” holds emphasis on Doiron’s comfortable vocals in swift verses of tension, Daniel Romano’s twanging guitar churning. Then the chorus rings out, releasing us into the pleasure of the major chord, of an earnest confession: “I thought of you.”
Another simple yet power-filled lyric dominates the fourth song: “Just when I thought it was over…” Doiron’s huskier register draws out these thoughts on unexpected renewal, a major theme of the record, as the instruments crescendo towards a free-fall. In other tracks, Doiron’s mournful “ooooohs” become choruses of their own, with sparkles of keys or staircase guitar riffs, the melody pacing around like how thoughts do. There’s an optimistic brightness that always returns, even in songs about running away, or wanting to sleep instead of partying.
“Darkness to Light” describes the challenge of making it through a dark period, “moving to the light,” and the uncertainty of staying in that light place. Pedal steel glistens through the track, hitting all the emotion points. It’s a real post-depression jam. I love the second line of the first verse, where Doiron shout-outs her friends who are also struggling: “I know that some of my friends are stuck in there right now.” Like the rest of I Thought of You, she shares her interior life, but it’s not just about her. Doiron makes way for the universal experiences of her loved ones, community, and listeners.
The album is complete with just Julie and her guitar. “Back to the Water” is a sweet folk song about going back home to build a life and knowing it’s the right choice. It’s clear from the beginning of I Thought of You that Julie Doiron is finally comfortable with where she’s at, who she is. She knows herself here in these words, these stories of sound. In this home, Doiron sings with confidence, “I’ve been here before.” The song is new, but I can close my eyes and see it – I’ve been here before, too.