Behind the Wallpaper occupies the unknown space just before a transformation is complete. Inspired by composer Alex Temple’s gender transition, the album explores themes of renewal and realization and is performed by Chicago’s Spektral Quartet and singer-songwriter Julia Holter. It mixes classical—some moments feel akin to Haydn or Schubert string quartets—with pop to tell a story of what it means to find oneself. In “Unnatural,” the transitional feeling of Temple’s music pops. Holter’s voice soars above lush, Romantic-inspired instrumentals. On the surface, sound glistens and shimmers, but there’s an underlying sense of uncertainty as strings begin to tremble and slide and Holter’s voice turns from rose-coloured hues to deeper hums. “Science Park” leans into the darkness, as ominous strings shudder beneath Holter’s voice describing the haunted location where she stands, above a nuclear reactor, and looks up at the stars. “Jolene,” similarly ominous, feels like emerging in the aftermath of a storm.
Temple tells her story through seamless mood shifts, creating an emotional narrative arc out of lyrics and melodies, and expertly capturing the feeling of metamorphosis: On the final track, “Spires,” the sound of water at a shore ushers us out with a nostalgia tinged with hope.
Vanessa Ague is a violinist and music writer currently studying Arts and Culture Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She runs the experimental music blog theroadtosound.com, and her writing has appeared in The Wire, Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, and Tone Glow.