Yep, you did indeed read that correctly. None other than Julie Byrne, the sitting Queen of Indie Folk herself, and ambient master Jefre Cantu-Ledesma have recorded a collaborative single.
Sadly a one-off for Mexican Summer’s Looking Glass series, rather than a teaser for a proper release (now wouldn’t that be a dream), it’s still a blessing to hear them together – not to mention the first we’ve heard from Byrne since 2017’s Not Even Happiness (and hasn’t that been just far too long). Her ability to find the perfect vocal through-line on Jefre’s cut (originally from his 2016 album In Summer) further proves her natural musical grace.
Speaking on the collaboration, Byrne is full of excitement: “Jefre’s original version of love’s refrain is a song that always felt limitless to me. When I first started writing the lyrics for the collaborative version, I would walk and listen to the song at dusk, sometimes I would walk for hours, playing it over and over again on headphones like I did with music i loved when I was a teenager.“
Check out the single below, which boasts a joyful video Byrne filmed with her friends.
You can follow Julie Byrne on Instagram.
