How an Ear Injury Saved JulianGK From Catastrophe
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 6 Minutes
“Being punk means autonomy of self” says Julian Gonzalez Kitzing, the name, face, and musical mastermind behind JulianGK. Based in London, England, Gonzalez Kitzing has been a punk/metal/alternative artist for years whether it be through the JulianGK project or with his former band, The Road Atlas.
Just a number of weeks ago, he released his first single of the year titled Waves of Change. Waves of Change follows Game of Blood and Breadcrumbs from 2025, offering fans old and new a glimpse into what 2026 holds for the artist. Recently, we sat down to discuss the new single and more.
Can you walk us through the process it took to create your new single, Waves of Change?
Waves of Change came from the feeling I got when being made redundant from my last job. I knew I was about to undergo a big change in life and I was kinda psyching myself up for it. At the time, I was playing this song on guitar a lot: Side Effects by The Bronx. The guitar riff on that song inspired the intro to Waves of Change, then one day while playing along to the chords under the riff, the words "Waves of Change are coming, gonna keep my head over water" came into mind.
The melody fit pretty smoothly so I kept it. From there, I came up with an alternative chord progression for the verse, which I thought gave it more movement and dynamics. I wanted the verse to convey a feeling that one can get when facing a natural disaster. That notion of seeing the weather forecast predict devastation without having anything in your power that can be done to stop the fenomenon. What you can do, though, is change the way you react to it.
You’ve been described as drawing heavy influence from California Punk. Who are some of your favorite artists within this genre? What about some influences that aren’t inherently punk?
I suppose that for this song in particular, The Bronx would be the main one. Even though they are called after a place in New York, they are actually form Los Angeles. Another band that has heavily influenced my songwriting is Rancid. Their use of storytelling and imagery creation is super cool to me. Social Distortion are another obvious influence in this song. The guitar riff probably comes subconsciously from playing Social Distortion songs for countless hours. Descendents and Sugarcult are two other California Punk bands that are major influences for me, even though they might not be as apparent on this track.
Influences that aren't inherently punk would be more chill stuff like Bob Marley and the Wailers. I absolutely love all of his songs. His melodies in particular are awesome. Another one would be a Mexican rock band called Maná. Their kinda soft latin rock. Very cheesy at times but their pop sensibility is very fun. They mix pop rock with latin grooves and the occasional punk-ish vibe. They were an important artist to me when I was a teen, and probably played part in me getting into music.
How did growing up in Costa Rica shape you as a creative?
The music that was easily accessible in radio, restaurants, shops and bars was all latin. There was very little of anything else. Loads of Argentinian, Mexican, Colombian and Puerto Rican pop and pop rock. The odd pop artist from the US was thrown in the mix. So I suppose that my lense was tinted based on that. When I got a bit older and I started looking for what I liked, rather than just passively absorbing what was already there, I started discovering American and British rock and punk, and of course, also a bit of Latin American rock and punk. Since, I have drifted away from the latin feel, although it will alway be a part of me. Plus now a days, it feels like it is finding me again, with Bad Bunny taking over the world. Ha!.. Good on him. It's also cool to see the culture I grew up with being embraced by the rest of the world.
You suffered an unfortunate ear injury in 2020, which forced you to take a hiatus from the band in which you fronted, The Road Atlas. What did this setback teach you?
This setback was very hard personally. At the time, my entire personality was based around The Road Atlas. When I was not doing stuff for the band, I was working as a sound engineer... which for I also needed my ears!.. So everything that I was doing was all of a sudden painful, harmful and simply not possible. This, as you say, forced me to stop. After some time, I started realizing that I was making many mistakes over and over again. I feel like the injury was The Universe telling me to reassess life. Take a beat. Figure out what was important to me, what I wanted to change about myself that was not working, what was good and I wanted to keep.
It also forced me to develop my life in other areas. I formed a beautiful bond with my now fiance, I made lots of great friends I would have not otherwise met, I fixed my nutrition and fitness habits, I quit drinking alcohol, I learned about business and I think just became a slightly better human being. Haha... It felt a bit like shedding an old skin that wasn't serving me anymore.
Funny to say this now, as I haven't thought about my injury in a few months.... I have never said this but I am kinda glad the injury happened. Looking back... before the injury, I was headed straight to collision.
Are there any hobbies or creative ventures outside of music that inspire you (movies, painting, etc.)?
I'm a full on adrenaline junkie! I love being active and physical. Cross fit is a big passion of mine, I train three times a week, almost religiously. When that adrenaline isn't hitting enough, I get myself to a skate bowl and I drop down and carve around for a couple hours. Although I am playing a lot more guitar these days and I don't want to risk breaking a wrist, so the old deck might have to take a backseat this summer. When the weather gets nicer, I like to take myself down to The Wave in Bristol and surf in their pool.
What does it mean to be punk? It is a sound, a style, an attitude, or something else entirely?
To me, being punk means autonomy of self. Having the capacity to think for yourself and make your own decisions. Having the open mindedness to listen to multiple sides of one story to use your moral compass to decide what YOUR truth is. Then Having the guts to express that truth out loud.
You lived in the rich city of Los Angeles during your early twenties before relocating to London. How have both of these cities influenced or changed you?
Los Angeles is full of dreamers. People there are all hustlers! I love that about LA. People are there to make things happen, so most people are very driven. That rubs off on you and makes you want to follow your dreams. It also gives you this sense that anything is possible. And indeed, the craziest things happen by just existing in LA.
London is similar in the sense that making dreams a reality is a bit more real that elsewhere. I suppose for it being such a large metropolitan city. Most industries have a large presence in London. I love how inclusive people here are. Sure, you won't meet a stranger in the tube or in a pub. But!.. Whenever you meet someone in a work environment, you're most likely going to get the benefit of the doubt, no batter what your religion, race, fashion style or sexuality is.
I like to think that the combination of the two cities have given me the encouragement to be myself and to be true to my own goals while going for them unapologetically.
Apart from Waves of Change, what else is in store for 2026?
So, I have a few songs I am working with producer Alex Copp. The songs are very much a blend of my two loves for punk, the pop punk side and the more hardcore side of the genre. Alex has managed to make the sound super raw and exciting while having a modern edge that gives a fresh vibe. I'm really excited to get deeper into working these songs, although they are most likely going to be released in 2027.
On a different note, I recently got a job to play guitar for a well established artist, who I am not allowed to name yet. I will be on the road with that artist for a majority of the summer and will be playing Hellfest, 2000 Trees, Mad Cool and a few other festivals. That will take up the majority of my music energy in the coming months, which I am very excited about and grateful for.
