Julia Holter

Julia Holter is an artist with a distinctive sound that typically slides up and down the scale between chamber pop and modern orchestral music. As a composer, she puts together music that ranges from off-kilter pop of the Cate Le Bon type to chaotic pieces, ambient ruminations, improvised segments and so on. There are occasionally hints of jazzy elements that stay in the background. Her pop songs can get bouncy at times, with a good beat, or they could be moody ballads with string, brass, or synth accompaniment. They are typically melodically strong and expressive pieces. Her magnum opus thus far has to be her 90-minute double album Aviary (2018), which comes across as a musical exploration of disorder and tension that goes far beyond the boundaries of conventional song structures. Her work is fascinating, exciting, and challenging.