Austra
BIOGRAPHY:
For those of you not familiar with Latvian mythology (we pity you), Austra is the goddess of light. Quite why this name was chosen for this Canadian three-piece, fronted by Canadian-Latvian Katie Stelmanis, is a mystery - the band’s music is rooted in the darker side of the spectrum, more evocative of night and the darker corners of the city than anything remotely illuminated. It’s probably because it sounds nice.
Stelmanis was destined for a career in music from a very early age, though not originally in goth-tinged synth pop. From the age of 10 she sang in the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus and Canadian Opera Company, alongside being classically trained in both piano and viola, with a view to studying opera at college. Legend has it that the day before she was due to move to Montreal for college she had a change of heart, realising that she wanted to stay in Toronto and carve out a career on a different side of the pop-classical divide.
Despite the inevitable fears from her parents, her operatic training hasn’t gone to waste on her new music. Comparisons have ranged from a demonic Kate Bush to a less strained Zola Jesus, and on stage her voice barely needs a microphone, with every note bellowing from her unassuming frame like a force of nature. Thrown in with the influence of Bjork, PJ Harvey and Nine Inch Nails, she has the ingredients to evolve into a formidable artist.
Drummer/programmer Maya Postepski and Stelmanis were formerly in riot-grrl throwbacks Galaxy together, before Stelmanis broke off to concentrate on writing her own electronic compositions, using her new-found love of MIDI. She released her first solo album, Join Us, in 2009, hot on the heels of her appearance on Fucked Up’s The Chemistry of Common Life. Her solo album didn’t create much of a stir on the other side of the Atlantic, but allowed Stelmanis to embark on a European tour, which was entirely self-funded and organised.
The third piece of the Austra puzzle was completed when Postepski and Stelmanis got together with former Spiral Beach member Dorian Wolf. Their debut album Feel it Break gets released on Domino Records this week, and has already been stirring up a torrent of media buzz, with the potential that it may even launch the band into the mainstream. The ground covered on the album isn’t anything particularly new, but fans of Zola Jesus and The Knife shouldn’t have any problems looking beyond the similarities and enjoying the atmospheric synth-pop.
Much of the media coverage of the band has centred on Stelmanis’ sexuality, who along with Postepski is openly gay and more than comfortable talking about it. This context doesn’t seem to have had any impact on the music itself, and despite the danger of the coverage overshadowing the artistry, Feel it Break will hopefully return the focus back to their deliciously sinister music. While their namesake may be the goddess of light, Austra’s Katie Stelmanis has laid down a mighty claim to be crowned the goddess of pop’s underexplored darkness.
European Tour Dates:
3rd June - Distortion Festival, Copenhagen
4th June - Musikcafeen, Aarhus
9th June - Berghain, Berlin
10th June - Molotov, Hamburg
11th June - Glocksee, Hannover
13th June - 200er Hall, Heidelburg
14th June - Atomic Café, Munich
15th June - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden
16th June - Conne Island, Leipzig
17th June - Spot, Poznan
1st July - Undertone Basement, Cardiff
2nd July - Crawdaddy, Dublin
3rd July - Cypress Avenue, Cork
4th July - Roisin Dubh, Galway
7th July - Cargo, London
8th July - The Haunt, Brighton
Links
Videos
Beat and the Pulse (Clean Version):
Lose It
Lose It (Live at SXSW)