LA-based Julia Holter has forged an atmospheric and stirring experience on her latest album, Something in the Room She Moves.
Dedicated to her daughter and the memory of her nephew, this album spans an intense musical and soul exploration for singer-songwriter and composer, Julia Holter. This is not background music, this album is to be sat with, until you want to dance that is. Alluring and cryptic, Something in the Room She Moves is a showstopper of an album with nuggets of growth for us all.
I covered the first track ‘Sun Girl’ a few months ago and shall pick up where I left off at track two, ‘These Morning.’
‘These Morning’ is a track of rebirth. The saxophone and trumpet seemingly part the clouds as the sun greets the day. Building an atmosphere of awe and unease, Julia sonically paints the beauty and terror of starting anew. The drum and double bass set the panicked pulse of the song and make it feel all the more engulfing.
Julia’s seamlessly elegant, fluttering vocals fully bake the magic into ‘Something in the Room She Moves.’ In an ode to the flow state and manifesting our reality, we are swept away by exuberant flute and warm saxophone. ‘Something in the Room She Moves’ is poetically striking and instrumentally nourishing, perfect for those who love mystically uplifting tracks.
‘Materia’ opens as a haunting fairy tale-like track. As Julia utilizes the higher aspect of her vocal range, the organ backing gives the impression of hearing this music float to you as you travel through a fogged wood. Lyrics of love lilt on a voyage through the turbulent sea of memory conveying a deeper pain as the song ends sounding even more airy and ephemeral. ‘Materia’ feels complex, relatable, and soothing. Revealing the jagged core while keeping the rest opaque, this track hurts in a good way.
Befitting its name, ‘Spinning’ is a dazzling display of swirling colour and spiritual descent. Overlaying a playful tempo, Julia tackles the self and sinks into a more enlightened understanding. Glittering with insight and hypnotizing instrumentals, ‘Spinning’ is a melodic journey to the divine. If you appreciate an arresting beat paired with rich verse, this is a track for you.
Twinkling glass and buzzing synth set the celestial night tone in ‘Evening Mood’. Full of illusions and loneliness, Julia’s hazy vocals guide us across the moonless night to be saved by the sun, if only temporarily. ‘Evening Mood’ is a lavishly mysterious track made even more enigmatic by the submerged soundscape. Water-like and otherworldly, this song is perfect for my fellow nocturnals and lovers of the cosmos.
Something in the Room She Moves is utterly bewitching and an impressive portfolio of Julia Holter’s expansive musical capabilities. Each track exemplifies itself as an individual that is brought back to the whole by Julia’s mystifying design. The songs feel enchanted and transformational, making this album a joy to get lost in.
Upcoming live shows
Sunday 7th April – Variations Festival, Nantes
Tuesday 9th April – EartH Theatre, London
Wednesday 10th April – Botanique Orangerie, Brussels
Friday 12th April – Colosseum, Berlin
Friday 3rd May – El Rey, Los Angeles, CA
Saturday 4th May – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Monday 6th May – Crocodile, Seattle, WA
Tuesday 7th May – Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR
Friday 10th May – Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN
Saturday 11th May – Outset, Chicago, IL
Monday 13th May – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
Tuesday 14th May – Le Belmont, Montreal, QC
15th May – Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
17th May – Webster Hall, New York, NY 18th May – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
19th May – The Atlantis, Washington, DC
Tuesday 21st May – Motorco Music Hall, Durham, NC
Wednesday 22nd May – Masquerade (Purgatory), Atlanta, GA
Follow Julia Holter on juliaholter.com | youtube | bandcamp | facebook | instagram