We Speak Music
Julia Thomsen Releases New Song “Here For You”
Julia Thomsen is back with new piece “Here for You,” and it feels like someone gently telling you it’s okay to not be okay.
The track comes from “Keys For Empathy,” a compilation put together by the Contemporary Classical Collective that drops on World Mental Health Day. All the money goes straight to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It’s not just music for a cause. It feels bigger than that.
Thomsen’s piano work here is the kind that makes you stop scrolling, put your phone down, and actually listen. It’s warm without being sappy, simple without being boring. The notes have space to breathe, and so do you while listening. In a world that rarely shuts up, “Here for You” offers a few minutes where you don’t have to be anything but present.
The whole album features 17 different artists, each bringing their own voice to themes of empathy and mental health. You’ve got tracks like Joy in Every Breath from Lynn Tredeau and Dave Lewis, and Legàmi di Pace by Ara_piano and Daniela Spadini. But Thomsen’s piece stands out because it doesn’t try too hard. It just sits with you.
For someone whose music has always leaned into reflection and comfort, this project makes perfect sense for Thomsen. Her playing has this way of making people feel less alone, which is exactly what “Here for You” is about. We all go through it. We all need someone, or something, to remind us we’re not in it by ourselves.
Timing the release for World Mental Health Day isn’t just symbolic. It’s a statement. This is music that wants to do something real, to help families dealing with mental health struggles while giving listeners a moment of peace in their own lives.
You can listen here.
With images captured during one of their recent live performances, director Pablo Delpedro sought to highlight the intensity that is so characteristic of Dead Chic. The release of the band’s new single “The Bells and The Fists” was the perfect opportunity to illustrate this: a strange, shadowy track where flesh and steel collide, the soundtrack to a pagan ceremony unfolding somewhere deep in the bowels of the earth.
The video immerses us in the world of the four band members. Through their looks, their movements, their chaos and fury, we find ourselves at the heart of the storm, in the thick, sweaty atmosphere that turns each of their concerts into a dark and intense ritual.
Dead Chic originally formed from the partnership between Andy Balcon and Damien Félix. They met a few years ago while touring with their respective bands (Heymooshaker and Catfish), frequently crossing paths on the road and catching up backstage to discuss music, idols, and the possibility of collaborating. After a few years without crossing paths, they reconnected in the fall of 2020. Before discussing musical influences, Andy and Damien shared visual references, illustrations, and landscapes that would form the foundation and direction of their work. The idea of working together then took a serious turn, and after some exchanges, “Too Far Gone,” their first track, was released in 2022.
They were then joined by Rémi Ferbus on drums (known for his work with Kimberose, Mélissa Laveaux, among others), who had previously collaborated with Andy; and Mathis Akenginon keyboards, a long-time collaborator of Damien in Catfish. Over the years, through tours and travels, the musicians have honed their skills, enriched their cultural knowledge, and defined their individual styles. The combination of the four immediately sparked.
Dead Chic’s debut album ‘Serenades and Damnation’ is out now via Upton Park. “The Bells and The Fists” is something new that is a taster of where Dead Chic are headed for 2026.
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