The Foxies’ Julia Lauren Bullock: A Candid Conversation

If I knew ahead of time I would have been given the opportunity to speak with one of the sweetest and most hilarious champions for eccentricity and what it truly means to embrace everything that makes each and every one of us unique and amazing I would have planned better.

In all reality I knew well ahead of time and I was still blown away.

Julia is the kind of kindred spirit that you can’t help but embrace. She’s the inner voice we all have and she has the spirit and voice to let us all know that all of that is alright. From having full conversations with liquor bottles to the true mystery of adulting. From the power in embracing imaginary friends and always being unapologetically yourself. We covered it all in our conversation today.

“Honestly, do any of us, truly, know how to adult?” Julia asked when I brought up their latest album, ‘Growing Up Is Dead’. The honest truth is that we don’t. None of us do. And that’s okay. Bands and albums like this exist to let all of us know we’re all in this together. “Growing Up Is Dead is about tapping into your inner child and celebrating that little kid inside all of us.” she explained. With tracks like “Inner Socialite” and “Call Me When Your Phone Dies” I hear it. I get it. I remember.

Julia shared that in The Foxies’ prior albums there had always been this focus on relationships with other people. In this one they turned inward to showcase their relationship with themselves. To highlight the fact that it’s okay to be okay with yourself. To go ahead and celebrate that kid trapped inside. Let them out to play once in awhile. Embrace the weird.

Julia explained that there is a lot of honesty in this album that helped direct them on new music they have just ahead. Although she couldn’t share details, she did mention a line from an upcoming track when I asked if there was a song she particularly related to. “Talking to myself… liquor bottles making faces… Seriously, who hasn’t had an imaginary friend, even as an (air quotes) adult?” she joked.

It is that carefree attitude and embrace of the weird that has shaped her as a musician and performer. We talked about her early beginnings in a garage band with friends, performing just two songs and practicing once a week at 13 years old. Her move to Brooklyn to pursue a solo career and ultimately finding her band in Arizona after years of searching for the perfect mix.

“Jake and Rob never took no for an answer. They’ve always been there.” she said with love of her bandmates. Their bond has helped drive their success, even with the Pandemic. Signing a publishing deal just before COVID-19 hit Julia explained that this down time has actually been some of the most creatively productive time in her career. “To actually have time and then to have that time to spend being creative has been amazing. It’s been like a rainbow. A creative reawakening. I feel like the creative spirits from the underworld have come out to play and I am ready.”

Their collective plans for this newest music is to attempt to really tap into their fans’ brains. “We want them to know they aren’t alone and to never be afraid to be yourself.” Making peace with insecurities is something we could all use a little more help with, adult or “adult”.