Julia Holter

“A work of transcendent pop beauty that finally explains the idea of 'ekstasis' by leaving the listener beside themselves, in a state of rapturous joy.”—Mojo

With her sophomore release, Ekstatis, Californian singer/songwriter Julia Holter has cemented the acclaim that she first triggered with Tragedy, her debut. Both releases signal Holter as a special artist who aspires to stretch boundaries with innovative song craft and literate lyrical references. (Have you heard anyone else lately who quotes Euripides, Virginia Woolf, and Frank O'Hara with unpretentious intelligence and ease?) The finely etched sonic atmospheres that support her voice evoke both Laurie Anderson and Julianna Barwick.

Here's how Pitchfork's ecstatic reviewer describes Ekstasis.

“Ekstasis is not the sort of oceanic wash you lose yourself in; instead, Holter's music has a way of snapping tiny moments and small sonic gestures into focus. Ekstasis is above all smart, and it makes no apologies for it…. It's there as pure, gorgeous sound if you want it—you don't need to know what the songs are about to immerse yourself in this record—but the deeper you go, the more the songs open up…pulling in references and sounds from everywhere and shaping them into a music that's both haunting and life-affirming, something to make you dream and think."

The haunting folktronica of Hundred Waters, from Florida, provides a complementary prelude to this special concert.