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Fairytale gone bad

Foods: Burgers

Julia Holter – Webster Hall – May 17, 2024

Some artists dip in and out of your life as you cycle through the ebbs and flows of the day-to-day. I’d followed Julia Holter from her start in the 2010s but for some reason waivered in my attention. When she provided music for the 2020 film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Holter popped back into my mind, and it made so much sense that soundtracks had become part of her repertoire. She naturally produces soundscapes that envelop your soul from her art-pop sensibilities that flow between ambient and electronic waves.

NPR’s Lars Gotrich describes her best: “Julia Holter’s music exists in tiny universes, colliding in torch songs and bits of cosmic cabaret that are as reverent as they are perverse. The most minute details and the plainest words suddenly form a grandiose spectacle.” Holter continues experimenting with her sixth studio album, Something in the Room She Moves, which dropped in March and offers tinges of jazzy blues notes. On Friday night at Webster Hall, the Los Angeles musician bathed the room in sumptuous melodies.

With Dicky Bahto’s film For Julia Holter (no. 1) projected throughout the night, the stage was set for art school band vibes. Holter opened with “Sun Girl,” with Devin Hoff banging the neck of his bass to provide a percussive, reverbing beat. Longtime collaborator and spouse Tashi Wada played bagpipes on “Silhouette” as the singer released sirenlike howls. Fan-favorite “Marienbad” arrived earlier than intended after Holter prematurely played its opening keys to the crowd’s delight. She went with it, jokingly saying, “This is ‘Feel You’,” which was actually the next song.

The singer-songwriter-composer-producer delighted in the joy of playing in New York City, allowing her to welcome several guests to the stage. Opener Nyokabi Kariũki and singers Gemma Castro and Ana Roxanne joined Holter for an a cappella version of “Meyou,” and in the set’s second half, saxophonist Danny Meyer gave an extra bluesy longing to “These Morning” and “Talking to the Whisper.” The headliner returned to older material on “Sea Calls Me Home,” and drummer Beth Goodfellow provided backing vocals on “I Shall Love 2.” For the encore, Holter did a solo rendition of “Materia” before the band returned to conclude with “Why Sad Song” and crowd-pleaser “Betsy on the Roof.” —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0c