Over the years, Julia Holter has created an incredibly expansive catalogue of music. She’s done avant-garde double albums, she’s worked within pop structures, and she’s made haunting soundtracks. She even did an album that incorporated Virginia Woolf texts. With every project she puts out, she expands her sonic palette and surprises fans by perfectly tackling new styles. Yet, she always manages to make all of her work feel cohesive, thanks to her ethereal voice and penchant for reverb-laden otherworldly instrumentation. 

Last week she released the track “So Humble the Afternoon”. On the surface, it’s a peaceful rumination on the seeming eternity of a long day, complemented by underlying lyrical tension. It was originally released as an adult swim single in 2017. Perhaps this new release indicates that it will be part of a larger album. Another possibility is that she could’ve seen it as fitting for the times we live in, which is no stretch. 

Holter captioned her instagram post promoting the track with, “when I made this song, I needed to play these chords over and over to get thru”. This is in reference to the fixed chord progression that remains constant throughout the 5 minute song. It indicates that routine can sometimes be a salve for those slow, painful days that seem to last forever. Holter is a survivor of trauma, and a grounding daily ritual might be part of her repertoire of coping mechanisms.

On a broader level, creating a routine is a great exercise to help deal with the effects of the pandemic. It genuinely feels good to take care of yourself. Even taking a moment to peacefully make a cup of tea or coffee in the morning can go a long way. The repetition of the chord progression seems to signify this simple way of life as a means to getting through a difficult period. 

The lyrics compliment the repetitive nature of the chords–the lines have a distinct back and forth pattern to them. Holter delivers them in a cadence reminiscent of a nursery rhyme, highlighting the ease and naturality of the song. It almost feels like she’s wistfully explaining the ways of the world to a child who’s not quite grasping her poetic meaning. With each statement followed by a “doesn’t mean” rebuttal, she seems to indicate that although themes seem very fixed, in reality, nothing is forever. This again ties back to the repetition of the chords and even the pattern of the lyrics.

She represents permanence through the cyclical nature of the song, but expresses transience by the fact that the song does, in fact, end. Rather than a fade out, which would indicate that the repetition does last forever, the chords and lyrics devolve into a more ambient vocal and synth harmony. 

At a glance, there doesn’t seem to be much to “So Humble the Afternoon”. But there’s quite a bit of concentrated meaning hidden beneath its unassuming facade. Julia Holter never disappoints in this manner. Hopefully this release indicates that there’s an album on the way from this musical chameleon.