Julia Shapiro's inspirations in an inverted world

DIY pop royalty Julia Shapiro, photographed by Eleanor Petry.

Living within an imperfect world that feels continuously teetering on the verge of its own self-implosion, there remains signs of hope. Despite the headlines of ecological, civic and social crises; we are lucky to share a universe with artists and their arts that make us feel less alone in the throes of our collective chaos, anxiety, panic and all the above. Returning to the continuous creative conversation is Julia Shapiro who readies her latest solo album Zorked via Suicide Squeeze that finds the artist making the jump from Seattle to Los Angeles during the onset of the pandemic. Living with fellow DIY pop icon Melina Duterte (Jay Som) and their home studio, the two produced a record that reflects the confounded human experience of navigating the strange and surreal of a world wrapped up in an apocalyptic whirlwind cyclone of destitution and pseudo-social desolation.

Helping us make sense of a planet that feels alien and inverted, Julia Shapiro’s Zorked offers a communal sense of commiserating comforts for our reality that feels like living within the mind frame of one gigantic altered state. The artist who has given us a plethora of contributions from Chasity Belt, Childbirth, Who Is She? and more provides something that is painstakingly familiar with a new solo album that somehow makes the scariness of the new normal feel a little less daunting and terrifying. Zorked leans into the aberrated ether of our current state, reveling in all the feels, where the silver lining in the discomfort reverberates in a communal global discomfort of vibes that are all too relatable. Delving deep into the tarot card cataclysms of the netherworld is the big basement dropping doom storm of "Death (XIII)" that oscillates into the windfall between life and the realms beyond the material veiled shrouds of the cataloged and chronicled.

"Come With Me" carries the consciousness into the pits of anxiety and anguish; a psychotropic journey that dissolves the thin membrane between good trips, bad trips and all the places of the unconscious that lies in those liminal transitory spaces and hallways of perceptions. Through the cosmic haze of "Wrong Time", Julia descends deep into the universe of inopportune and inconvenient timing. Chronicling the journey from the PNW to Southern California's seemingly infinite empire of asphalt isolation; "Time" trucks on down the I-5 into the sequestered home spaces occupied by a few confidants, instrumental accoutrements and surrounded by a globe caught in a fugue state of flux. Zorked stands a document to the international quarantine movement (or lack thereof) of being alone together, a revelatory candid work of art that shines an incandescent light on the inward domiciles and abodes made amid personal changes as the surrounding world comes to a screeching halt. Join us after the jump as Julia takes takes over Week in Pop with some select items of interest:

Julia Shapiro’s Week in Pop Top 5

Insights and inspirations courtesy of Julia Shapiro; photographed by Eleanor Petry.

Love Island (UK)

Love Island is by far my favorite reality dating show. Watching it is like being on a heavy dose of pain medication; I feel more sedated and relaxed with each episode. I love the pace of it, the British slang they use like mugged off and crack on, the sad slowed down covers of love songs that score it and the absurd challenges they’re forced to do. It comes out in real time, so that leaves the producers with less editing power. I don’t feel as much like I’m being fooled as a viewer, since it’s not edited in post the way many other reality shows are. Because of the slower pace of it, you get to know the contestants really well; in this past season there were over 60 episodes filmed over the course of eight weeks. I grew attached to everyone in the villa — my new family! They’re all so supportive of one another, and you get the sense that the producers want everyone to get along, unlike American dating shows like The Bachelor where everyone is pitted against one another.

Bike Rides

Biking is a new hobby I picked up over the course of the pandemic. I would even go as far as to say it kept me sane during that time. I mean, I biked before the pandemic, but now I BIKE. I moved to LA in March 2020 right as COVID hit, so there wasn’t much to do but ride around aimlessly. Biking was a good way to get to know the city while everything was shut down. It’s a nice solo activity, and it’s also fun in groups. It’s good exercise, while also being rewarding. I find it very meditative.

Podcasts

After settling into the isolation brought on by the pandemic, I adopted a new habit of listening to podcasts, often while riding my bike around. Two of my favorites are Poog and SUP (Sexy Unique Podcast). I’ve frequently found myself cackling along to both of them while riding alone down the street, probably looking like a mad woman. Poog centers around wellness culture and is hosted by comedians Kate Berlant and Jacquenline Novak. SUP, hosted by comedians Lara Schoenhals and Carey O’Donnell, recaps reality shows like Vanderpump Rules and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Both podcasts are hilarious and tend to feel like you’re just listening into a conversation between two good friends who make each other LOL. 

Liminal Spaces Twitter

I’m obsessed with this Twitter account and the complicated emotions of nostalgia, yearning and despair I feel after looking at photos of liminal spaces. My favorites tend to be empty indoor pools, hotel lobbies, and houses at night. There’s something both calm and eerie about all of these spaces, and I’m fascinated by the feelings they evoke.

The Harp Twins

I’ve been following these virtuoso harp twins for six years or so now, and they never cease to amaze me. I was first introduced to them with this Star Wars harp medley video in which they dress up like ewoks.

They have hundreds of gems like this on their YouTube channel. All their music videos are filmed by their mom, and they make all the costumes themselves... multi-talented goddesses! They have total AI energy and are constantly finishing each other's sentences and smiling wide-eyed into the camera. I also appreciate how seriously they take their twindom — they wear matching outfits every day, and seem to never leave each other’s sides.

My bandmate Gretchen and I had the opportunity to see them in concert a few years ago, and it really blew me away. The show was almost three hours long, and everyone in the audience was there completely in earnest. The twins began the show with a cover of “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers, and I completely lost my mind, both because of the absurdity of a harp version of that song and also because of how talented they were. Another highlight was their cover of “My Immortal” by Evanescence. At one point they both played the same harp at the same time and started percussively slapping and kicking it. I’ve never been so wowed by live music before in my life.

Julia Shapiro's new album Zorked will be available October 15 via Suicide Squeeze.