Q&A with Julie July from the Julie July Band
Q: Why does new music still matter?
Julie July: There was a time when every song we now call a classic was completely unknown. No memories attached to it, no singalongs, no certainty it would last. I remember hearing Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time and simply stopping to listen because it felt unlike anything else. That’s the excitement of new music — discovering something before the world has decided what it means. New music isn’t something that happened in the past; it’s happening right now.
Q: What has the band been working on recently?
Julie July: We’ve just spent three weeks in the studio recording songs Steve had already written and demoed. We’d lived with the songs for a while beforehand, but the studio changes everything. That’s where the music really opens up and starts becoming something bigger than the original idea. Sometimes you stop analysing and simply react to what feels right in the moment — and suddenly everything clicks into place. By the end of those sessions, we had ten songs, each with its own personality.
Q: How did the album title Diamond Rainbows come about?
Julie July: The title arrived quite naturally. To me, a diamond rainbow is about light passing through something strong and breaking into colour. At first it seems simple, but the closer you look, the more movement and depth you find within it. That felt very much like the spirit of these songs.
Q: What can listeners expect from the title track?
Julie July: Diamond Rainbows begins with a fiddle line rooted in folk music but shaped with a more classical feel. As the song grows, acoustic and electric guitars bring warmth and momentum, all held together by a solid rhythm section. But it’s really the harmonies that give the track its emotional lift and sense of connection. It’s where folk and rock meet naturally, with every part adding another shade of colour.
Q: Is there something special about hearing a song for the first time?
Julie July: Absolutely. We all love familiar songs, but there’s a different kind of magic in hearing something brand new — before it becomes part of your life. It’s that unexpected moment when a song catches you off guard and stays with you afterwards. That’s where original music lives. Even now, these songs are still evolving every time we play them, and each audience shapes them differently.
Q: What does Diamond Rainbows represent to the band?
Julie July: These songs are very personal to us, but they’re still finding their place in the world. I think that’s part of the invitation behind the album — to listen not only to what music has been, but to what it might become next.
The new album Diamond Rainbows is available to pre order via the Julie July Band website.