Music built on a closeness that can’t be manufactured. Their intimate indie folk is rooted in a shared childhood and the kind of family changes that break you apart before putting you back together in a different way. The influence of Bon Iver, Ben Howard and Cat Stevens can be heard in the songs’ sensitivity and careful use of silence, while the songwriting carries the same emotional honesty found in the work of Phoebe Bridgers and Joni Mitchell. But these songs are not about their influences. They are about everything the sisters have lived through themselves. Some have taken years to evolve, continuing to grow and change on stage. The initial anger has gradually given way to a quiet, melodic melancholy.
Sarah Julia are sisters from Amsterdam, and their second EP expands the fragile intimacy of their early work with a richer sound and a more confident artistic voice. Critics praise their striking vocal harmonies and lyrics that never settle for the obvious. Their live shows are not built on spectacle or theatrics, but on those rare moments when the music quietly finds its way under your skin and stays there longer than you expected. Their fans have already formed an almost mystical community, calling themselves “the witches.” After their performance at DolnĂ VĂtkovice, that circle may grow a little larger.