This Is Our Jam: Julia Holter, “Marienbad”

Julia Holter’s music could probably be described as “Baroque pop,” but that doesn’t do it justice. Her new single “Marienbad” from the upcoming Ekstasis, sees the listener through multiple movements, recurring themes, and ear-bending vocal harmonies. The track may well be inspired by Alain Resnais’ film, Last Year in Marienbad, which shares the Czech location of the song, as well as its notoriously complex, dreamlike narrative. Ditto for Julia Holter, who never settles on one motif while “Marienbad” unfolds and reforms continuously before the song comes to an end. Like a cymatic interpretation of a falling snowflake, “Marienbad” is a triumph of both form and originality.