Holter, a Los Angeles native, grew up in a musical family. Her father plays guitar and once performed with Pete Seeger. Her mother, Carole Shammas, is a prominent academic and currently holds the John R. Hubbard Chair in History at the University of Southern California. Besides playing and recording music, Holter tutors students and works with a nonprofit organization for teenagers in South Central Los Angeles. After graduating from CalArts, where she studied composition, Holter contributed songs to multiple compilation albums in 2008. She performed in the LA Road Concert with the Open Academy Youth Orchestra on Washington Boulevard in 2009. The following year she began playing with Linda Perhacs' band. In 2010, she released a CD-R titled Celebration and a collection of live recordings.
Her debut studio album, Tragedy, was released in August 2011 on Leaving Records. Inspired by Euripides' Greek play Hippolytus, the album received generally favorable reviews and was named one of NPR's "Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011".
Holter released a second album, Ekstasis, in March 2012 on the RVNG label. The album drew comparisons to works by such artists as Laurie Anderson, Julianna Barwick, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, Grouper, and Stereolab, and received many positive reviews. Holter spent three years making the album, whose title comes from the Greek word meaning "outside of oneself." The music video for album track "Moni Mon Amie", directed by Yelena Zhelezov, was also released in March.
In addition to collaborating with other California-based musicians like Nite Jewel (Ramona Gonzalez), Holter recently released her third album, Loud City Song. Unlike her first two albums, which were recorded mostly alone in her bedroom, Holter recorded Loud City Song with an ensemble of musicians
City Appearing
Julia Holter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this late hour
Maybe trouble
Maybe fantasy
It's too hot for winter
Patience, violent heart
Bright blue flames under my fingers
Taken through the city
Storm on my back
It is the hand of love so rough
What we're feeling for the first time?
Does Claire love too, or Julie? Do they love?
When Lis feels the way I do
Can I feel her percuss through the city?
Through the city
All the phones are ringing
with the restaurant's complaint
Even the regular customers have left early tonight
Walked out without a hat
Everyone has left early without a hat
A fire without a hat
All the birds of the world make their way over
With new softer songs to sing
All the birds of the world make their way over
With new softer songs to sing
The moon is true
Maxim's on fire
Gigi swimming
Oh, I see my love swimming
Moon, you know disaster from a warm bath
All who are muffled by the squall
Doesn't love scare them?
Screamers on the balconies
Trombones on the roofs
The screamers who fell in love or died
City appearing
The lyrics to Julia Holter's song "City Appearing" portray a surreal and dreamlike state of mind. In the first stanza, she muses about the ambiguity of the present moment. It could bring either trouble or fantasy, yet the temperature is too high for it to be winter. She urges herself to maintain patience despite her violent heart. The following stanza refers to a mysterious love that is rough and unfamiliar. The singer wonders if others feel the same way, and muses over people named Claire, Julie, and Lis. She imagines herself feeling her lover's presence pulsating through the city.
As the song progresses, Holter continues to describe this city that seems to exist outside of reality. The phones continuously ring with complaints from a restaurant, and even the regular customers have left early without their hats. Meanwhile, birds sing new and gentler songs as they fly over the city. The moon shines true, and a person named Gigi is swimming. Holter personifies the moon as though it knows disaster from a warm bath – a notion that adds to the song's surreal and dreamlike state. She concludes with the image of screamers on balconies and trombones on rooftops – a sound that would seem alarming in any other context but seems to fit perfectly in the world she has created.
Overall, the lyrics to "City Appearing" evoke a sense of disconnection from reality and transport the listener into a dreamlike state. The song is a beautiful meditation on love, the present moment, and the surreal.
Line by Line Meaning
So
Starting with an ambiguous word suggesting further explanation is required.
In this late hour
At night, in a moment of uncertainty and anticipation.
Maybe trouble
Perhaps a difficult situation, problem or danger is approaching.
Maybe fantasy
Or maybe it's just an unreal or imaginary situation, an escape from reality.
It's too hot for winter
It's too warm for a cold season, possibly a metaphor for something unexpected.
Patience, violent heart
Despite the challenging times, one needs to keep a calm and steady heart.
Bright blue flames under my fingers
Feeling a sudden rush of unexpected power, energy, or inspiration.
I'm taken by surprise
Caught off guard by what's happening, without being able to control it.
Taken through the city
Taken on a journey through a place full of life, lights, and sounds.
Storm on my back
Feeling the weight of something difficult, challenging or overwhelming.
It is the hand of love so rough
Love can be both a source of pleasure and pain, a double-edged sword.
What we're feeling for the first time?
Questioning the authenticity of new emotions or sensations.
Does Claire love too, or Julie? Do they love?
Wondering if other people share similar feelings, or if love is a unique experience.
When Lis feels the way I do
Feeling a connection with someone else who experiences the same emotions.
Can I feel her percuss through the city?
Feeling the presence of someone else, even when not physically together.
Through the city
Reiterating the surroundings and setting of the song as a recurring motif.
All the phones are ringing with the restaurant's complaint
Dramatizing the chaotic and stressful atmosphere of urban life.
Even the regular customers have left early tonight
Suggesting that the situation is either dangerous, unpleasant, or unexpected.
Walked out without a hat
Unprepared or vulnerable, exposed to external conditions.
Everyone has left early without a hat
The repetition emphasizes the sense of abandonment or isolation.
A fire without a hat
Possible metaphor for an uncontrolled or uncontrollable situation, like a fire that burns everything.
All the birds of the world make their way over
Introducing a new metaphor, the birds, which create a different atmosphere and mood.
With new softer songs to sing
Creating a contrast with the previous lyrics, where everything was loud and intense.
The moon is true
Adding a touch of mysticism or spirituality to the song.
Maxim's on fire
A possible reference to famous restaurants, suggesting either luxury or destruction.
Gigi swimming
A random detail that could evoke a sense of nostalgia or melancholia.
Oh, I see my love swimming
Returning to the theme of love, adding a sense of longing or desire.
Moon, you know disaster from a warm bath
An obscure or enigmatic sentence that could suggest that even beautiful things could hide danger or pain.
All who are muffled by the squall
Referring to people who are silenced, overwhelmed, or suffering.
Doesn't love scare them?
Reiterating the theme of love, but this time with a negative twist.
Screamers on the balconies
Creating a powerful image of people who express themselves loudly and dramatically.
Trombones on the roofs
Adding another detail to create a sense of chaos or confusion.
The screamers who fell in love or died
Linking the idea of love with the idea of death, suggesting an ultimate sacrifice or tragedy.
City appearing
Ending the song with a simple yet evocative phrase that suggests that the city is still there, changing, evolving, but always present.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: JULIA HOLTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind