Sound & Vision with Julia Bardo

Born in Italy, but now based in Manchester, Julia Bardo is about to release her debut EP, Phase, through Wichita Records on 6th March. The former Working Men’s Club member wrote the single, I Wanna Feel Love, at a strange time in her life.  ‘I was in a relationship that didn’t work for me. I felt like I lost my inspiration—There was no colour in my life. I started to think, ‘Is this how I want my life to be? Is my life over at 24? Is this really the way I want to be loved?’ So I started to write about the way I see love. I’ve always wanted to feel special for someone, I’ve always wanted a fiery and intense, passionate love. And eventually I got it.’

The Mattiel-evoking track  gives us a glimpse into Bardo’s past and present, with its lyrics seemingly saying farewell to her native Brescia, with the music taking on the life of her current location. It is a wonderfully-vibrant track that manages to distill poigant imagery with a stomping soundtrack.

So we asked Julia to pick some of the art that makes her tick, as she delves into her Sound & Vision.

Three favourite albums:

Emozioni – Lucio Battisti

A sunny day, my mom and my dad, our old house, the smell of fresh cut grass, my naivety and my serenity. My childhood, my happiness. My homeland, affection and Lucio Battisti playing in the background.

Loaded – Velvet Underground

This album shaped my music taste into what I like now.
At 19 I was singing in my first band and my band mates were the first to show me The Velvet Underground. I fell in love with the music straight away. I also got to know Nico, a beautiful voice that became one of my biggest inspirations later on.

Nancy & Lee – Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood

Nancy Sinatra is one of my favourite singers and the one that has got the highest number of my favourite songs. This album to me is timeless and it’s always going to be one of my favorites ever. I love the music, Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra’s voices together, I just love this album and every time I listen to it, it makes me daydream.

One fave book:

I find very hard to pick only one. I am not a “bookaholic” but when I like a book I fall in love with it. I tent to choose books with personal stories, with subjects very personal to the author or that I think they could help me going through a certain situation or that could talk about something I could relate to.
I would definitely pick Sylvia Plath’s The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. I first read it in Italian and when I moved to the UK I had to buy the real version in English. I can say that I find myself reading back some sentences I underlined on the book once I’ve finished it. I think I am attracted to the way she writes, the honesty of her words and the way she manages to translate her feelings into words. It’s very inspiring for me, as I mostly write about feelings in my songs. I also love The Stranger by Albert Camus, Anais Nin, Alda Merini’s poetry and Jack Kerouac.

One fave film:

It is impossible for me to choose one favourite film. Watching film alongside with eating and walking in nature is my favourite thing to do in my free time. I have got a long list of cool films, I am a big fan of French New Wave movies starring Anna Karina, directed by Truffaut or Godard, Noir with Humphrey Bogart, and 60s Italian movies directed by the like of Fellini, Antonioni and Dario Argento, contemporary art film and independent drama directed by Xavier Dolan, Gus Van Sant and Wes Anderson but I also don’t mind comfort movies sometimes, especially the ones with Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts in.

Since I had to pick one, I decided on Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders. Family and love are subjects very close to me; when I first watched it, it made me cry. I always cry for good films! I love everything about this film: the story, the colors, the setting, the characters. It’s such a poetic movie in my eyes. What I love about it it’s the emptiness, the fact that the atmosphere and the way the characters are, speak for themselves and the fact that there are more emotions than actions. There’s no need for words when you love.

One song that’s important to you:

Seabird by Alessi Brothers

This song means so much to me; it marks the beginning of something new, something never lived before.
A new life full of colors, art, new sounds, pictures on the wall, warmth and love. A rebirth. A spring after winter. A new life, finally mine.

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