SPIN’s Philip Sherburne wrote in his review of Julia Holter’s Essential new album Loud City Song that “Where indie rock has often used acoustic instruments to signify peace and quiet, Holter’s horns and strings can be as rambunctious and unruly as a scrum of paparazzi.” Indeed, the Los Angeles avant-gardian uses chaos to her benefit, wrenching drama from dissonant sounds, lyrical ideas, and, as we see above, video concepts. We’ve already seen striking clips for “Maxim’s 1,” “In the Green Wild,” and “World.” Now comes one for “Horns Surrounding Me,” in which the same characters appear to occupy two distinct eras — one Victorian and filled with intrigue (murder, magic); and one modern and filled with ennui (Holter sitting in a courthouse-style bathroom, doing nothing). The Angus Borsos-directed video, based on a concept by Nite Jewel’s Ramona Gonzales, also includes shots of a theater whose velvet blue curtains may point to a Lynchian third realm. Or not. Either way, that cloak is tremendous.
Julia Holter Considers Murder, Time-Travel in ‘Horns Surrounding Me’ Video
