Julianna Barwick - Will
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2016 Ratings: #316 / 1004
User Score
Based on 162 ratings
2016 Rank: #293
Liked by 2 people
May 6, 2016 / Release Date
LP / Format
Dead Oceans / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Exclaim!

Will is a beautifully written work of art that finds Barwick reaching out to a larger audience, but completely on her own terms.

90
Slant Magazine

It's the sound an artist, whose mysterious and celebrated process has ironically created theatrical and curated work to this point, finally achieving subtlety.

85
The 405

Will is a triumph - it takes the kosmische regurgitations of Oneohtrix Point Never, the choral, almost religious feel of early Julia Holter and the relentless thirst for finding the new in the old of The Caretaker to make an entirely new statement.

82
Pitchfork

Will may at first seem small, private, and modestly appointed—just a room with a piano, a synthesizer, and a looping pedal—but once you settle in, it feels as vast as the universe in there.

80
Under the Radar

With Will, Barwick has once again created something only she could. It's a remarkable achievement—in whatever genre she decides to embrace.

80
The Skinny

Will is a deeply dramatic showcase throughout – Barwick's vision might have its foundation in traditional forms but the way in which she deconstructs and rebuilds is a distinctly renegade act.

80
Resident Advisor

On the self-produced Will, there's an extraordinary confidence behind Barwick's voice and arrangements.

80
SPIN

Despite its nearly weightless presence, Will ultimately is a record about going places, even if it takes its sweet time. Uninterested in either Point A or Point B, Will is happy to just drift about in the in-between.

80
AllMusic

An intentionally fragmented portrait of change, Will's cracks show the growth in Barwick's music, and its pieces are facets that allow different aspects of her talent to shine.

80
musicOMH

The loop pedals are still present of course, and it’s not a huge leap from previous albums The Magic Place and Nepenthe, but the overall sound is richer and lusher than ever before.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes

Barwick’s music is lyrical, wordless, a poetics of negation and repetition. The scatter-worlds of play, ambiguity, and never-empty space. So it breathes, conjures.

80
Drowned in Sound
It’s this gentle tension between rigidity and fluidity which makes this a brilliant record. There’s enough repetition to draw you into its ambient landscape, but enough deviation to provide surprise and detail.
75
The Line of Best Fit
It’s an emotional record first and an ambient record second, and one that will resonate even with those who typically aren’t fans of the niche genre.
74
Sputnikmusic
Though it takes a sense of patience to pass through the thick layers, Julianna Barwick’s latest musical exploration is not without its rewards.
70
PopMatters

Evocative and turbulent, the mostly buoyant compositions seek the freedom to extend beyond a moment or locale. A faintly sketched canvas, listeners can color their own emotions to Will.

60
DIY
We find ‘Will’, her first record since 2013’s ‘Nepenthe’ both taking her music further into more straightforward terrain while remaining doggedly, indelibly weird.
58
Pretty Much Amazing

It’s understandable that Barwick wouldn’t want to do a total 180 into electronic territory. But that probably would have yielded a superior album. Rather, Will is a wobbly baby step from a well-honed sound to something greater. There’s not much reason to listen to it over any of her other albums, and it’s less interesting for the music it contains than the music it promises.

50
Consequence of Sound
The sound is still undeniably Barwick, but not as revelatory: Songs now build quantitatively rather than blooming hidden shapes and colors from the inside out.
JulianGomez974
74

Will showcases a lot of Barwick’s strengths, the synthesizers, the deep vocals and the catchy loops, but it seems like sometimes she just doesn’t fully explodes them at best. I felt in a rollercoaster, she gave me a strong track, then a good one, then a boring. It’s inconsistent, like you’re always waiting for something more to happen but you’re left there without the dessert. Overall, I liked the vibe and I think the length of the songs is perfect.

Fav tracks: ... read more

mrmonstercat
95

julianna barwick has a very pretty voice, and when you pair that with some good ambient production, you get an album that's pleasant to listen to throughout its 38-minute runtime

ShoegazeJake
90

Ambient space pop

mrmonstercat
95

julianna barwick has a very pretty voice, and when you pair that with some good ambient production, you get an album that's pleasant to listen to throughout its 38-minute runtime

ShoegazeJake
90

Ambient space pop

CheapandLethal
70

Worth a listen

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Track List

1St. Apolonia
2:13
70
2Nebula
5:34
80
3Beached
4:08
70
4Same
4:55
70
5Wist
2:40
70
6Big Hollow
5:30
80
7Heading Home
3:57
60
8Someway
4:30
80
9See, Know
5:04
70
Total Length: 38 minutes
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Added on: March 8, 2016