Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness

It’s a pertinent circumstance that Julia Holter’s plush new album arrives just in time for the passing of summer and the slow-crawl in to the darker months, for it’s filled with such shaded natural wonder that it could only really find its true form in the more secluded days of autumn.

Her fourth full-length release, Have You In My Wilderness is the moment that Holter adds sparkling clarity to her work, which has often treaded more knowingly ambiguous paths. Lead single Feel You is testament to this; a beautifully understated meeting of voice and sentiment filled with the kind of subtle magic that simply can’t be faked.

While it’s the album’s faint elegance that makes the most abiding impression, Holter still fills Wilderness with wonderfully plush arrangements. Lucette Stranded on the Island casts an icy glow, as dramatic as it is expansive, while Vasquez blossoms with anomalous instrumental meanderings, a wholly cinematic diversion from the principle tone. 

If all that came before was Julia steadily journeying somewhat under the radar, then Have You In My Wilderness is the moment she steps out of the shrouded realms and in to the bright light of the day. Uninhibited, focused and majestically crafted, she’s simply never sounded more vital.