Words & Photos by Gianluca D’Elia

Julia Egan knows that “Everyone Dies at the End” is a heavy name for an EP. But the message behind the high-energy, four-track release by her band, somedaysoon productions, is far from dismal. 

As a singer and guitarist, Egan often brings mental health to the forefront in her music, grappling with heavy topics but through a sound that can be easily enjoyed in a nightlife setting. 

A first listen to Someday Soon Productions introduces fans to that mission early on. Their latest EP’s opening track, “How to Survive a Panic Attack,” is a fast, frantic punk rock song that invites listeners into a firsthand perspective.

“I wanted to make it a visceral experience for people who either might or might not know very well that that’s exactly what it feels like to have a panic attack,” Egan says. “Someone could relate to that and think, ‘somebody hears me, somebody sees me.’ I always want that to come across in my music.”

Founded by Egan in 2021 with a lineup of top-tier musicians from her alma mater, the Eastman School of Music, somedaysoon is already making waves. With their first EP released in Summer 2022 and several singles along the way, the band has landed invitations to perform at events such as the Voidyear Festival and National Alliance on Mental Illnesses’ (NAMI) 10th Annual Walk in Rochester.

Participating in mental health initiatives locally, particularly at Rochester’s chapter of NAMI, has inspired Egan as an artist. Over the course of the pandemic, she has found comfort in their open mic nights. 

“I’ve never felt more comfortable in front of strangers,” she says. “People aren’t stigmatizing you, and they’re not making you feel like you’re in an unsafe environment to be able to talk about really hard things.”

Egan’s ability to get comfortable with talking about the uncomfortable shows in her songs. On another track from the EP, “Depression Keeps Me Skinny,” she details what it feels like to survive a sexual assault and not take care of one’s body in the aftermath. 

“Out of that experience came this need to communicate to folks that when you have depression from trauma, the end result can make you do severe, harmful things to your body, whether you’re actively doing it or not,” she explains. “When you experience that… it can make you feel like your body isn’t your home anymore.” 

Since the band was founded and has released all of its music during the pandemic, Egan says that the songs often address COVID-related mental health concerns. The EP’s third track, “Generation Anti-Social” is a Samia and Snail Mail-inspired indie pop track that deals with isolation from a sense of community, feeling apathy toward the idea of interacting with others, and struggling to truly feel present in relationships as a result. 

“While these songs contain experiences that are personal to my life, I also wanted them to feel like experiences a lot of people could relate to as they are going through the pandemic – because I think they are.” 

The EP is “supposed to be a little unstable, but also very deliberate in its attempt to get us to pay attention to our humanity and what’s going on around us,” Egan says. 

With a catalog of music that ranges from neo-soul to indie pop punk, the new local band has already showcased a versatile range and an ability to handle deep topics in innovative, refreshing ways. “We branch out, but the music stays in the same vein of ‘these are bangers,’ and it’s meant to be engaged with and danced to.” 

The band has plans in store for even more new music soon. They’re wrapping up 2022 by performing local shows with fellow Rochester band Bellwether Breaks, and recording a new record in memoriam of iconic feminist writer and social activist bell hooks, titled “All About Love.” And of course, they’ll continue to make an impact in Rochester’s music scene while they do it. 

“Creating a community around the band has been wonderful to see,” Egan says. “I go out in Rochester and people recognize me!”

She takes it as a sign that the messages in somedaysoon’s music are reaching others. 

“That’s an accomplishment in its own right,” she says. 

 Somedaysoon Productions’ music can be found on Spotify, YouTube and Bandcamp.