Experimental avant-pop. This is the album that catches that listener-on-scan-in-the-car's ear and gets them to keep listening. Really cool, lush stuff that strikes a great mix between fleshed-out and minimalistic. Holter has an academic background, and while her music reflects that, its academic qualities are perfectly balanced with poppy flourishes; it's incredibly accessible (in a good way, you elitists). Huge variety of instrumentation (brass, strings, et al) and effects; she goes way beyond the "looping fem vox and a synth" that she's often compared to (even if that is a great ~genre). Great voice. Cinematic in scope and never too focused on what's trendy, drawing influences from many decades. Vocals very organic but abstract lyrics sometimes produce a childlike or even ahuman quality; despite this, they rarely feel awkward. Fairly noir, lightly tropicalia here and there.

RIYL: Avant-pop, Jazz-pop, Julianna Barwick, Joanna Newsom, Mirroring

1 (4:53) A cappella with intensifying synths second half, noir fem vox with ambient sounds, richer instrumentation joins second half, Rear Window vibe
*2 (6:07) Crashing cymbal intro, reverberating synths create a dazed out waltzy effect, alternate then join in with atmospheric, cinematic strings and vox
*3 (4:47) Running sounds, panting open, noiry synths; horns join in, rich sound, intensifies in layers until halfway through
**4 (4:08) Jazzy-pop intro w/fable-esque vox; second half is pure pop perfection
*5 (6:17) Cover of Barbara Lewis's classic soul-pop "Hello Stranger;" Holter makes it her own. Quiet synthy intro w/ birds; pretty, whispery, strings + cymbals
6 (5:28) Intensified reprise of 2, frantic noir, slow section, return to frantic, big brass
7 (2:19) Quiet, piano, ghostly vox
*8 (3:31) Fuzzy intro, jazzy, experimental pop; the catchiest upbeat thing appropriate for late night radio
9 (7:16) Slow, rainy, closing time, nice double bass; builds slowly