Julia Jacklin has always written from the tension between wanting to be loved and wanting to be free. On her fourth album The Gem, the Melbourne singer-songwriter stops fighting the contradiction and starts mining it for all it is worth.
Released on 4AD and recorded above a Collingwood pub of the same name, the album finds Jacklin trading the polished pop ambitions of 2022's Pre Pleasure for something looser, warmer and more lived-in. Producer Robert Muiños captures the sound of a band playing together in a small room, with all the charm and imperfection that implies.
Digging In The Dark
The story behind the album is almost too perfect. Jacklin moved from Sydney to Melbourne in 2017 knowing nobody, and The Gem became her local. When she discovered a makeshift recording studio above the bar, the venue gave the album its name and its ethos. She and her bandmates Jacob Diamond, Mimi Gilbert and Jess Elwood commemorated the sessions with matching opal tattoos.
That spirit of trust runs through all ten tracks. Where Pre Pleasure tackled childhood religion and sexuality with bold arrangements, The Gem pulls back. These songs breathe. The production leaves space for Jacklin's voice, that gentle, startlingly controlled instrument, to do what it does best: tell stories about ordinary moments that turn out to be anything but.
God Sometimes
Spirituality surfaces throughout. On God Sometimes, Jacklin sings about forcing moments to change over a gently psychedelic two-chord romp. If I Had The Hand Of God imagines divine power as a metaphor for all the things we cannot bring ourselves to do, from calling a parent to knowing when to walk away. The closing image of Jacklin standing in her yard watching a neighbour eat a peach over the sink is one of the most arresting she has ever written.
The lead single Get Away From Me (I Think I'll Love You Soon) captures the album's central duality in its title alone. It is a bold nod to eighties jangle rock, all bright guitars and nervous energy, with Jacklin reciting what sounds like a mantra of self-protection that doubles as a love song.
A Voice That Transforms
Jacklin's eye remains sharply observational throughout. She imbues watching a neighbour, calling her dad or forgetting to water a friend's plants with contemplative weight. On Walk On Me, her voice transforms into an instrument for the second half, soaring over thick sonic layers with wordless vocalisations that say more than lyrics ever could. It is a stunning moment on an album full of them.
The Gem balances luscious pop-rock with bright jangle and stripped-back acoustics. Real Life straddles lo-fi and dense arrangements, beginning with a tinny drum machine before building to something quietly complex. The album closer I Wish, featuring Melbourne folk duo the Maes, brings the record full circle with melting three-part harmonies.
On The Road
At 35 minutes, The Gem is brief by design. Jacklin has said the album felt like digging in the dark, trusting she would find something. What she found is one of the most assured records of her career, a lean collection that rewards repeated listens with new details and deeper resonance.
Critical response has been strong. The Gem holds a score of 81 on Metacritic, indicating universal acclaim, with The Guardian awarding four stars and Pitchfork praising Jacklin's surrender to the idea of change. Jacklin tours extensively from October 2026 through early 2027, with dates across North America and Europe including shows at Glastonbury-sized rooms that would have seemed unlikely when she was playing Melbourne pubs a decade ago.
For an artist who built her name on quiet, impassive storytelling, The Gem sounds remarkably like someone learning to be loud on her own terms.