BEST NEW INDIE POP: JULIA MICHAELS - UH HUH

As we approach the summer months, We Are: The Guard presents some more upbeat jams worthy of outdoor play, including Julia Michaels’s newest song, Uh Huh, which is guaranteed to get the blood pumping as the temperature rises.

JULIA MICHAELS - UH HUH

At the tender age of 23, Julia Michaels is already a household name writing for the likes of Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and Gwen Stefani. It wasn’t until early-2017 that Michaels finally released her first solo track called Issues. Off her EP entitled Nervous System, she unleashes her second single, "Uh Huh." Loaded with charisma, guitar riffs accompany her sultry, alternative vocals to create a poppy, yet not overly-sugary track.

Though Michaels is a bona fide songwriter, with a dozen of charted hits on the Billboard 100, she wouldn’t imagine herself as the singer taking center stage. When you listen to her solo stuff, it is hard to believe that is true, as she seems like a natural. Getting her vocal start from Jason Derulo asking for an impromptu duet, her voice has been littered across numerous tracks, but never has she stepped forward by her lonesome until this year.

Her personal songs exhibit much more of her internalized feelings through honest lyrics and catchy hooks. "Uh Huh" features a story of two people who are about to take their relationship to next level, but does it down an alternative route by avoiding the pop-bait highway. There’s a lot of substance to her work, and her new EP warrants a listen.