During the second half of the 2010s, much of Julia Holter's music revolved around different kinds of confinement that ranged from her soundtrack work to the verse-chorus-verse forms of Have You in My Wilderness. Aviary feels like the natural and opposite reaction to all this structure; at a generous 90 minutes long, it gives her plenty of room to express herself as a composer, songwriter, experimental artist, and indie musician. Inspired in part by a quote from Lebanese-American writer Etel Adnan ("I found myself in an aviary full of shrieking birds"), Holter's sixth album reflects and responds to the feeling of sensory overload that dominated the late 2010s.
Aviary is an epic journey through what Julia Holter describes as “the cacophony of the mind in a melting world.” Out on October 26th via Domino, it’s the Los Angeles composer’s most breathtakingly expansive album yet, full of startling turns and dazzling instrumental arrangements.
Recent years brought about for Julia Holter an existential focus on human connection, amid the staggering change that came with the death of loved ones (including her young nephew, to whom the album is dedicated) and the birth of her daughter. On Something in the Room She Moves, Holter vividly processes the complexity, gravity, and awe of this confluence of experience. She calls the music “sensual,” “flowing,” and “nocturnal”–a testament to how love, with all of its challenges, “reroutes neural pathways.” The cover art by Holter’s childhood friend, artist Christina Quarles, highlights the multiplicity of intimate connection: are the figures embracing or in battle?
Julia Holter has scored the movie Never Rarely Sometimes Always, as Film Music Reporter notes. The film, directed and written by Eliza Hittman, premieres at Sundance on January 24, followed by a wide release on March 13 (via Focus Features). According to Sundance’s synopsis, Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows a teenager named Autumn who heads to New York following an unintended pregnancy. Julia Holter released her latest record, Aviary, in 2018. She has previously scored the British TV series Pure and the 2016 boxing movie Bleed for This.
All copies of the March 2024 issue of Uncut come with a free, 15-track CD – Real Live Wire – that showcases the wealth of great new music on offer this month, from The Jesus And Mary Chain, Julia Holter and Phosphorescent to Rosali, Sam Lee and Dean McPhee. Now dive in…