Julien Chang - Jules (2019)

A Baltimore native and current university student, Chang (pronounced Chong) surprised his peers when he began quietly self-releasing music during his senior year of high school two years ago. "The record was brought to life by uncertainty and experimentation, just like most everything else in life is during the summer before senior year," Chang explains. "Even in the last weeks of recording, I was unsure of what kind of album it would turn out to be, but I think that was the point of making it - to follow inspirations indiscriminately and to whatever extent I felt." The self-produced, self-recorded and almost entirely self-performed debut album shows Chang's fusing infectious pop melodies and experimental psych-rock with progressive jazz improvisation and sophisticated classical construction, all while spanning multiple instruments. Now Jules will get a proper release.