Crushing (album)

Crushing is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin. It was released in February 2019 under Polyvinyl Record Co., Transgressive Records and Liberation Records.

Crushing
Studio album by Julia Jacklin
Released	22 February 2019 (2019-02-22)
Length	39:24
Label	Polyvinyl Transgressive Liberation
Producer	Burke Reid
Julia Jacklin chronology
Don't Let the Kids Win (2016) Crushing (2019) Pre Pleasure (2022)
Singles from Crushing
"Body" Released: 3 October 2018[1] "Head Alone" Released: 8 November 2018[2] "Pressure to Party" Released: 24 January 2019[3] "Comfort" Released: 14 February 2019[4] "Don't Know How To Keep Loving You" Released: October 2019[5]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, the album was nominated for six awards; Best Female Artist, Best Adult Contemporary Album, Best Independent Release, Producer of the Year, Engineer of the Year and Best Cover Art.^[6] At the AIR Awards of 2020, the album won Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP.^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.1/10[8]
Metacritic	85/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Chicago Tribune	[11]
The Daily Telegraph	[12]
The Independent	[13]
Mojo	[14]
NME	[15]
The Observer	[16]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[17]
Q	[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 24 reviews.^[9] Helen Brown of The Independent gave the album a perfect score, calling it "Grunge-rinsed, feminist-flipped, upcycled Fifties guitar an' all: Crushing is a triumph".^[13] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised the album, giving it a perfect score and saying, "As a body of work, Crushing feels small, intimate and inward. But these are big songs, full of big ideas, from a big talent."^[12] Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone described it as a "subdued yet arresting LP that blends sweet indie-pop with folk introspection and delicate piano balladry, as Jacklin offers up concise self-realizations without fuss or fanfare."^[19] Adriane Pontecorvo of PopMatters gave the album a positive review, saying, "Life, love, heartbreak: none of it is particularly novel as musical material, but on Crushing, Julia Jacklin lets us learn from her experiences with her heart on her sleeve. There is a valuable perspective here, and truly moving music."^[20]

In a year-end essay for Slate, Ann Powers cited Crushing as one of her favorite albums from 2019 and proof that the format is not dead but rather undergoing a "metamorphosis". She added that concept albums had reemerged through the culturally-relevant autobiographical narratives of artists such as Jacklin, who "redefined the edges of intimacy within the singer-songwriter mode on Crushing, which considers how women set boundaries and constantly face the violation of them, not just in love but in every aspect of their lives".^[21]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Body"	5:07
2.	"Head Alone"	2:58
3.	"Pressure to Party"	3:02
4.	"Don't Know How to Keep Loving You"	5:32
5.	"When the Family Flies In"	4:00
6.	"Convention"	3:16
7.	"Good Guy"	4:11
8.	"You Were Right"	2:22
9.	"Turn Me Down"	5:49
10.	"Comfort"	3:07
Total length:		39:24

All tracks are written by Julia Jacklin.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[22]

• Julia Jacklin – vocals, guitar
• Georgia Mulligan – backing vocals (2, 5)
• Blain Cunneen – guitar
• Dominic Rizzo – piano, assistant engineer
• Clayton Allen – drums
• Harry Fuller – bass guitar
• Burke Reid – production, mixing, engineering
• Guy Davie – mastering
• Nick Mckk – photography
• Mel Baxter – layout

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23]	8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24]	156
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25]	22
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26]	29
UK Albums (OCC)[27]	67