We Speak Music

Julie Slim Releases New Single “Time Flies” from Her Album Suspended

Published

2 months ago

May 19, 2026

Multilingual vocalist and songwriter Julie Slim unveils her deeply personal new single, “Time Flies,” a song that has traveled with her for more than two decades before arriving at its definitive form on her newest album, Suspended.

“Time Flies” was first conceived in 2000 during a quiet yet life-altering moment. After dropping her two daughters off at elementary school, Slim was struck by an overwhelming awareness of time’s fleeting nature.

“I felt a profound sense of urgency and anxiety about how quickly time was slipping away,” Slim recalls. “The melody and lyrics came to me in less than half an hour.”

The song continued to evolve over the years. In 2005, Slim workshopped and recorded an early arrangement with Joshua Thomson (saxophone) and Ethan Vlah (tabla). In 2012, while forming her band, Slim shared the recording with her mentor and friend, the late Dr. James Polk, the Grammy-winning jazz pianist and revered figure in the Austin music community. Polk helped shape the arrangement that later appeared on Slim’s debut EP, Julie Slim & RendezVous.

Despite performing the song extensively, Slim felt the piece had not yet fully captured her original vision. That changed with the recording of Suspended. Reuniting with Joshua Thomson and collaborating with her band members Phil Spencer, Joe McCreary, Shawn Ellison, and Shirley Johnson, along with Sari Andoni on oud, Slim recorded the track live at King Electric Studios. The result is a version that finally embodies the spontaneity and emotional immediacy she always intended.

“This recording captures that ‘in the moment’ feeling I had been searching for since the song’s birth,” Slim says.

Based in Austin, Texas, Julie Slim has spent more than twenty years enchanting audiences with her warm, expressive voice and cross-cultural artistry. In 2013, she founded Julie Slim & RendezVous, a project reflecting her global musical influences and commitment to connection through music.

Her work has earned critical recognition, including an Honorary Merit Award in the 2017 USA Songwriting Competition for “Sarabande de Solitude,” which led to a feature in the Songwriters Showcase at SXSW. Her releases include multiple EPs and the 2017 full-length album Promenade Sentimentale, a tribute to beloved French standards.

Her latest album, Suspended, presents a multilingual collection of original songs inspired by meaningful chapters of her life, with “Time Flies” standing as one of its most intimate and reflective offerings.

A Life of Art, Service, and Cultural Bridge-Building

Beyond her recording career, Slim has been a featured vocalist with the Austin Jazz Workshop since 2001. She is also an active member of the Threshold Choir, offering weekly songs of comfort to individuals in hospice care at Hospice Christopher House in Austin.

Raised in Beirut amid a rich tapestry of global music—from Edith Piaf to Fairuz—Slim’s artistic journey spans theater, linguistics, and education. Her work consistently reflects a passion for cultural dialogue, emotional authenticity, and human connection.

Julie Slim is a proud member of the Indie Collaborative and ASCAP.

We Speak Music

The Songs of Butler & Cupples Prioritise Craft on Intimate New Single ‘Better off Lost’

Published

5 days ago

July 3, 2026

Brett Wylie

Following the momentum of their first three breakout releases earlier this year, genre-fluid project The Songs of Butler & Cupples have returned with ‘Better off Lost’. A stripped-back, intimate offering that further sharpens their songcraft-first ethos, the release reinforces the duo’s position as one of the most forward-thinking, emerging songwriting projects operating outside the traditional band framework.

Conceived entirely as a vehicle where pure songcraft remains the central focus, The Songs of Butler & Cupples was formed in direct response to a contemporary music landscape increasingly shaped by image, algorithms, and visual perception rather than musical composition.

Led by two highly experienced industry songwriters, the project is intentionally fluid. It allows musical ideas to dictate their own final form without being restricted by rigid genre conventions or commercial chart expectations. With ‘Better off Lost’, the pair turn inward, embracing an acoustic-led direction underpinned by Americana-leaning textures and delicate, emotive vocal arrangements.

Sonically, the track marks a further evolution in their rapidly expanding creative palette. Built around a gentle acoustic guitar foundation, ‘Better off Lost’ foregrounds vulnerability and vocal performance above all else. The raw emotional delivery is elevated by subtle, layered harmonies and understated pop sensibilities that give the track its modern, polished edge.

The duo’s stylistic range has already drawn comparisons to boundary-pushing artists such as Miley Cyrus and Kacey Musgraves, whose recent celebrated works have helped reframe contemporary Americana within the broader pop landscape. Like those icons, Butler & Cupples demonstrate a versatile range that fiercely resists easy categorization.

Across their 2026 discography, they have proven comfortable shifting between entirely different sonic worlds, including: Electronic-Leaning Production: Utilising sleek, modern digital textures. Experimental & Rock Influence: Embracing grittier, guitar-driven edge and unpredictable structures. Acoustic Minimalism: As heard on the new single, proving that a strong emotional through-line remains intact regardless of the instrumentation.

Rather than chasing viral TikTok trends or tailoring their masters for playlist algorithms, the project remains deeply rooted in strong structural songwriting, genuine emotional resonance, and absolute creative freedom.

At its core, The Songs of Butler & Cupples functions as an open creative framework without built-in limitations or outside expectations. ‘Better off Lost’ stands as another clear statement of intent from the duo: that well-crafted songs, when given proper breathing room and unfiltered honesty, still possess the power to cut through the modern noise.