First Impressions: “Requiem for a Dream” by Holly Palmer

Of late, when not lost in The Wonder Years, a Scandinavian drama or Elvis Presley box set, I’ve found myself diving down the rabbit hole know as YouTube, where my landing page spotlights new and not-so-new music videos alongside clips about life long ago—some vintage, others not. Whatever I first click on essentially sets the agenda for that session, so a piece about the early days of the Internet may be followed by an aged TV report about “electronic mail,” but not a song from the early 1990s. The same’s true in reverse, too: A music video isn’t followed by found footage of Philadelphia in the 1950s. In similar fashion, when I do pick a music clip, everything that follows fits within certain parameters. The Castellows, a neo-traditional country trio, may lead into the Red Dirt stylings of Kaitlin Butts or the country-soul of Madison Hughes, for example, but not the avant-garde/ambient jazz of Christian Winther or Alina Bzhezhinska & Tulshi. (Yes, I have varied interests and likes!)

Holly Palmer’s “Requiem for a Dream,” from her forthcoming Metamorphosis album, is destined to upend everything. It’s vocal pop-art, in a sense, somewhat akin to how an Andy Warhol painting would sound if, indeed, paintings could sing. As such, it works well with an array of genres and styles. The first time I clicked play on it, YouTube paired it with Abigail Rose’s frothy “Bubble Bath.” The second time, a moody Charm of Finches tune followed, which in turn fed hypnotic tracks from Daughter of a Drum, Moon Panda, and Natalie Duncan. A third play led to Jayna Jennings’ country-pop “10:43.” It’s a remarkably flexible and fluid tune, in other words; it works well with everything, including the aforementioned Winther’s eccentric works.

Through the years, Palmer—who holds a Master’s in Vocal Arts and Opera—has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Gnarls Barkley, Seal, and Michael Buble, not to mention Billy Preston and Dr. Dre, in addition to releasing her own albums. Metamorphosis, her first since 2019, is a remarkable collaboration with producer/multi-instrumentalist Pete Min that’s slated to hit the streets on Sept. 12. I’ll have more to say about the album in full closer to then, but for now: It’s fast become one of my favorites of 2025. As “Requiem” demonstrates, it’s a jazz-inflected outing that’s both avant-garde and pop; Palmer’s wordless vocals basically bypass the brain’s left hemisphere, which processes language, and connects deep within the soul.

The album can be preordered over at Bandcamp.