Julia Holter's 4th album is a world to get lost in, just don't wander to far...
On Have You In My Wilderness Julia Holter invites us to share her private universe, in which she explores themes of love, trust, power and relationships using her own brand of avant-garde pop and almost poetic lyricism. It is perhaps no coincidence then, that on the album's cover Holter mirrors an early image of punk-poet Patti Smith.
The opening harpsichord twangs of Feel You give way to Holter's haunting voice as she recalls "the memory of your piano" over a bouncy bassline that adds melody to the melancholy.
Holter's voice is the album's focal point, "Do you know the proper way to ask for a cigarette?" she questions on the cinematic How Long, over a sprawling string section. Yet even the orchestral bombast fails to dominate her charming tales.
Betsy On The Roof is the highlight though, Holter's voice is captivating as she coos "Oh oh she said", underpinned by a stirring piano line that accentuates the fragility of her voice, as we realise that Holter's world is an intimate one.
At times Holter gets lost in her own wilderness. Songs like Night Song and Vasquez wander without ever finding a way, too immersive against the left-field pop of Sea Calls Me Home.
It might be an album of two halves, but Have You In My Wilderness is wholly immersive, something to get lost in, and there isn't anywhere in the universe where we'd rather be.
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