Released 7th June 2019

Favourite track: A Different Kind of Human

Very dreamy sounding vocals mixed with electronic music and beats that makes this an experience in itself

The cover art to this album, A Different Kind of Human – Step 2, was definitely one of the more creative ones. This Norwegian singer, AURORA, certainly has talent without a doubt. The cover displays a kind of tribal looking graphic which is really intriguing and tells a story. I wondered what all the ‘step 2’ bit was about and then discovered that she had released an album before entitled Infections Of A Different Kind – Step 1. 

The first thing that grabbed my attention was just how cleanly the vocals and music was produced in the first track, ‘The River’, which is kind of modern electronic style music with a very angelic sound to it. Her singing is beautiful and reminds me a lot of Susan Sundfør who is one of the most talented vocalists out there with an INSANE range. ‘Dance on the Moon’ is another track that displays the angelic quality of her voice, with dual layered voice working perfectly to create a choral kind of effect. It’s very dream-like and you can almost imagine a magical setting with creatures in your head. I really liked ‘Daydreamer’ too because it’s relaxing but then quick in pace leaving me wondering how this works in both ways so well. There is definitely an idea of being in touch with the universe around you and this comes across in her lyrics and beats. One of the most captivating this with AURORA’s music is her lyrical ability. All the songs tell a story and really set the tone. The vocals then compliment the tone and narrative so well.

I wasn’t really keen on ‘Hunger’ as such. It sounded very Bjork and I can’t claim to be a huge fan of hers, especially after watching Dancer in the Dark which literally gave me motion sickness. ‘Hunger’ has a very tribal sound to it which is interesting but, for me, it wasn’t to the level of her other songs. Still well produced though. ‘Soulless Creatures’ makes up for this. It is SO DREAMY sounding and I really don’t know how someone can sound this good. Her high notes are so well executed and the rest of it just flows so nicely. Her voice really is an instrument. ‘A Different Kind of Human’ and ‘Mothership’ continue this idea of an outer-world experience which I LOVE especially with the lyrics “there is a flaw in man-made matters but you are pure” from ‘A Different Kind of Human’. Wow her lyrics tell such a story and I’m living for it.  

I can really imagine her music being used in a fantasy sci-fi film because of how magical and ‘out of this world’ it is.