This Becomes Us is the debut album from Future of the Left’s Julia Ruzicka. The album includes nine different vocalists, including Pixies’ Black Francis, former Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster frontman Guy McKnight, Kristian Bell (The Wytches), Billy Mason Wood (Blacklisters), Chantal Lewis Brown (Vodun), Damien Sayell (The St. Pierre Snake Invasion) and more.

Each of the ten songs on This Becomes Us was written by Julia on bass guitar, before enlisting Ian Wilson (Art Brut) on guitar and Jack Eggleston (drums). A raw and wiry collection of songs, This Becomes Us rumbles with spontaneity while bending to the unique talents of each of the albums vocalists.

This Becomes Us is released on November 11th via Prescriptions Music. The warped lead track ‘Painter Man Is Coming’ featuring Black Francis can be streamed now:

Since 2000, Julia has recorded seven studio albums as a bassist, firstly as a member and co-founder of cult London based post-punk/hardcore band Million Dead before joining Welsh stalwarts Future of the Left in 2010. Sixteen years since coming to the UK from Australia (and fourteen years since her visa was meant to expire), This Becomes Us is Julia’s first venture as the creative lead of a musical project. She says: “I have loved and still love the role I play in my bands creatively, on bass, but as time passed throughout various writing periods for all kinds of records, I started to stockpile ideas on bass, and just wanted to see some of the embryonic ideas written on bass turn into fully realised songs.”

The vocalists who feature on This Becomes Us are largely connections Julia has made through touring or met via musical circles. Not only did the vocalists contribute vocals, but each wrote the lyrics to their songs, giving each a more personal and natural feel. Some of the singers she had in mind for certain tracks, including Black Francis, who she wanted to feature on the album’s fourth song. Julia says: “It was an incredible outcome. I wrote the song with him in mind, being someone who has been listening to his music for a long time. To actually have the person singing on your song that inspired that piece of music is quite an incredible event and feeling.”