Julie Odell - “Cardinal Feather”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Cassandra Jenkins, Alvvays, Beach House

There are elements of Julie Odell’s latest record Autumn Eve that make it seem like a reflective indie folk album, but the New Orleans singer-songwriter flips those expectations with cinematic rock builds, alt-country grit, and full-on soul that broadens this under-the-radar 2022 release. Callbacks to classic rock and roll intermingle with Latin percussion on “Envelope”, lush harmonies empower “Caterpillar”, and “Cardinal Feather” grooves in R&B sway - it’s a record that rewards with longer and closer listens and shows off Odell’s wide-ranging ability in a genre that is normally fairly boxed in. Given it’s her first solo record, it is even more impressive and puts Odell clearly in the “artist to watch” category heading through SXSW 2023. (Kevin McStravick)

2022 Review: Julie Odell may base her sound in gentle bedroom pop, but on 2021 EP Phlmsy, a collaboration with Grubby Little Hands, her music twists into psychedelic pop tracks patiently recorded in chillwave light. The weirder the better - as Odell adds layers of tripped-out sound, her music becomes that much broader and more interesting. Woozy and plodding like a lazy river, the patience across Phlmsy gives the airy melodies inherent weight, swaying in technicolor winds.