With their debut album “Feel It Break,” Austra achieved a surprise hit in 2010 that crept into the nation’s consciousness rather than exploding onto the scene. Hardly anyone hasn’t heard this earworm somewhere and struggled to shake it off: “Don’t wanna lose you, don’t wanna lose….” Der Spiegel aptly wrote: “This song knows no escape. It’s crazy, annoying, and brilliant. Once it’s in your head, you can’t get it out for days.”
Now, Austra is releasing their second album “Olympia” on June 14. “Olympia” is an album of transformation: although only three years have passed since the debut album “Feel It Break,” the sound of the Toronto-based band has evolved dramatically in structure and style.
After three years of non-stop touring around the globe with bands like The XX, Grimes, and Gossip, the three original band members, along with three accompanying musicians, have developed into a perfectly functioning six-member unit. “Previously, I would flesh out songs before I brought them to the band, but this time I left them bare and let the others fill them in,” explains the driving force, singer Katie Stelmanis.
“Olympia” is also an album where Katie Stelmanis emotionally exposes herself as a songwriter for the first time. The piano-driven single “Home,” for instance, deals with the fear of waiting all night for a loved one to return. “I was mad and upset and the song just wrote itself,” says Stelmanis. The album touches on painfully familiar themes, such as the end of a relationship, as well as positive aspects like friendship or infatuation. Even though the lyrics, which Stelmanis wrote together with background singer Sari Lightman, are often dark, the album is still a bubbling dance album: “We are really into dense harmonies and big beautiful melodies, but I also love techno and dance music. I wanted to bring those elements together.”
Although “Olympia” overflows with electronic synth sounds, the band recorded everything live in the studio, including contributions from Maya Postepski on marimbas and congas: “Maya played a huge role in the production of the album,” says Stelmanis, who has been working with drummer Postepski for eight years, including in their previous band Galaxy. “There is a major percussive element running through every song,” Stelmanis laughs, “this is the album where we discovered rhythm.”
The production work was handled by the band themselves with the help of Mike Haliechuk, Damian Taylor (Björk, The Killers), Bill Skibbe, Leon Taheny, and Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Erasure, Hot Chip).
Austra consists of Katie Stelmanis (vocals), Maya Postepski (drums), Dorian Wolf (bass), Ryan Wonsiak (keyboard), Sari & Romy Lightman (background vocals).
Live:
14.06.13 Berlin, Lido, Germany – SOLD OUT
19.07.13 Melt Festival, Germany
01.08.13 PoolBar Festival, Austria
02.08.13 Stuck! Festival, Austria
Web:
