Julia Stone, Middle Kids, Tash Sultana: Australia s best new music for February Nathan Jolly and Guardian Australia
Julia Stone featuring Matt Berninger – We All Have
For fans of: Damian Rice, the National, Taylor Swift gone folk
Julia Stone’s first solo album in eight years has been recorded piecemeal since 2015 with various collaborators, including St Vincent. As a result, the four singles we have heard so far all sound wildly different, with an ethereal production wash being the only binding element. We All Have is the most beautiful to date, a sparse ballad with minimal piano and finger-picked guitar accompanying Stone’s chirping baby-bird harmonies. Matt Berninger from the National takes verse two, his solemn baritone the perfect counter, before the pair combine for the chorus. It’s all over and done in two and a half minutes but it leaves a lasting, calming impression – a lovely ode to the impermanence of everything.