Julia Jacklin is a staple of the Australian folk rock scene. This weekend she played Great Scott (Allston, MA) as part of an extensive tour promoting her sophomore album, Crushing. A fan since her 2016 debut Don’t Let The Kids Win, I was excited to finally get the chance to catch her play a show.

Julia played through most of Crushing, along with the hits from Don’t Let the Kids Win. In a time of ever-decreasing attention spans, Crushing is a work that needs to be consumed as a whole, winding through the stages of breakup grief from open to close. That was apparent throughout the night, as the crowd was just as present for the muted numbness brought by songs like ‘Turn Me Dow’n as they were for the rebound jams like ‘Head Alone’.

Playing with a band of men who seemed at times to be just as captivated by her tenderness and candor as the audience, Julia appeared as vulnerable as she sounds on her records, allowing us to trust her experience like we so desperately want to. Because she is an artist who is best at putting words to feelings that would otherwise be wordless, Julia Jacklin’s best quality is her gentle relatability. To finally see her perform live confirmed that she’s real, and that no one in the audience would be lonely again.