One Track Mind

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Like so many artists before her, Brooklyn’s Holly Miranda fell in love with her adopted city and never looked back. Raised in Michigan, Miranda took a trip to visit her sister in New York City when she was sixteen years old and fell in love with the energy on the streets and the talent all around her. She dropped out of school and began writing music, setting off down a path that saw her serve as a vocalist in The Jealous Girlfriends and which now sets a major milestone with the February 23rd release of her debut album, The Magician’s Private Library, on XL Recordings. On her premiere long-player, Holly Miranda weaves silken vocals around a tapestry of dreamy, subdued melodies, echoing past work from artists such as Hope Sandoval, Mojave 3, and A Sunny Day in Glasgow.

Our first listen to The Magician’s Private Library comes in the form of “Waves,” the record’s smoldering, four and a half minute long third track. “Waves” is the type of song that sneaks up on you; it doesn’t necessarily demand your full attention upon first listen, but has a way of worming its way into your subconscious nonetheless. Its instrumental components don’t seem especially eager to stand out from the pack–that distinction is reserved for Miranda’s passionate vocals. Instead, the guitars, percussion, and keyboards inhabit roles more concerned with a collective pinging, bouncing back and forth against the other sonic layers to create an ethereal tide. That said, Miranda’s singing helps guide the music along from passage to passage, adding not only the melodic anchor but the structural one as well. The result is a piece which is surprisingly substantial given its feathery feel.