About the Archivist

“And you may ask yourself, ‘How did I get here?’”

2013 was the year of emptiness.

Every artist will tell you that they’ve hit the proverbial wall now and again, that the well runs dry. As a writer, I’ve endured a few periods of creative stagnancy. When they strike, my solution is one that applies to most forms of creation: go out and be inspired. Fill up the well, so to speak.

2013 was different. For the first time, my passion for all art had died out. Music didn’t resonate with me, which is striking, since I began attending concerts in utero and credit music with literally saving my life. Everything I picked up to read just fell a little flat somehow. I lost interest in films. The list goes on. It wasn’t depression (been there, done that). It was a complete disconnect, and neither my longstanding musical loves nor the latest crop of releases could cure it.

And then, July Talk happened, just as 2014 arrived.

I can be slow to the party on new music, despite my music blogger background. It’s a quirk of mine: if a lot of people are talking about something, I avoid it out of a fear of not liking it, coupled with an odd annoyance born of overkill. I’m the person who didn’t read the Harry Potter books until the 7th movie came out because of the hype. So I hesitated on July Talk, despite being fascinated with their black and white aesthetic and the vocal contrasts described in the media. I didn’t want to dislike them, and given my “everything is blah” funk, I was afraid of just that.

One day, I had a random “Fuck it!” sort of moment. I happened upon their video for “The Garden” and hit play. When it stopped, I hit play again. And then, I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole for a good hour. When I surfaced, I bought their album.

Their passion was contagious. I went to a show of theirs and realized that seeing July Talk live was even better. Another show happened soon after. And yeah, I fangirled. But how could I not?

Suddenly, art came alive again. I came alive again.

Since 2014, I’ve written four novels, seen a LOT of July Talk shows in four provinces and two countries, and met amazing people along the way. Stick around in this fandom long enough, and you find a family to dance catharsis with.

When not at a concert, you’ll find me plotting novels, reading a book, blasting music, devoting far too much energy to fictional TV characters and doing my best to make the world a kinder place.

Music is oxygen; breathe deep
Amber