Uninhibited, focused and majestically crafted, she’s simply never sounded more vital.
While it's tempting to say Have You in My Wilderness is her most personal music yet, it might be more accurate to say that it's her most approachable: this time, her brilliance demands a lot from her listeners, but also meets them more than halfway.
Rather than nodding respectfully at the artists of the past, Holter now fixes her stare inward, shining a torch on what makes her tick as a human being. The result is a much more honest and more personal collection.
Superlatives barely do the record's beauty or brilliance justice. Something this exquisite extends beyond words on a page or, frankly, sound in the ears. Have You In My Wilderness is meant to be experienced; it's meant to be felt. Only then will you understand just how special Julia Holter's creation truly is.
Have You In My Wilderness finds Holter narrowing her focus a little. In doing so, she gets the best of both worlds, showing off her ability to write warm and breezy pop music while maintaining the complexity, and perplexity, that made her so intriguing to begin with.
Have You In My Wilderness is all about walking away and looking back, the content of desire and its form, the voice in search of clarifying itself.
The songs on Have You in My Wilderness move gently with few exception at the peaceful state of many ballads.
Deciphering the message in her words relies on just how much time the listener is willing to devote to the album, but with music this brilliant, the task seems all the more alluring.
For an artist who could sometimes seem forbidding or remote, Have You In My Wilderness feels humane, and with each new release, it seems like a bit more of the personal is teased out of Holter's stately, high-concept approach.
Even if Have You In My Wilderness is Holter's most accessible record to date, it's riddled with enough puzzles, lyrical twists and delicate refinement to remain intriguing listen after listen.
While still dreamlike, Have You in My Wilderness, Holter’s fourth album, is something clearly felt — the ocean spray on the warm breeze, the sun baking exposed limbs, a hand glancing across your skin before drifting away.
Have You in My Wilderness’ best quality is that it won’t let you down if you get up close and sit with it for a while.
Album number four from this Los Angeles native is defined by its sense of cinematic grandeur and romantic narrative.
Her new one ... is about matters of the heart, and its stunning textures come in part from the 30-year-old singer/songwriter’s ensemble of talented L.A. musicians.
Have You in My Wilderness sees her positively gliding towards accessibility; she sacrifices none of her experimental credentials, but demonstrates no fear of allowing her sound to evolve either.
With the change in musical temperature on Have You In My Wilderness, Julia Holter’s collection is now suitable for all seasons, rather than just the cold and sheltered moments of winter.
With Have You in My Wilderness, Holter’s musical worlds continue to engross.
#1 | / | MOJO |
#1 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#1 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#1 | / | Uncut |
#2 | / | Q Magazine |
#4 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#4 | / | The Guardian |
#4 | / | The Wire |
#4 | / | Under the Radar |
#5 | / | Crack Magazine |