out now: Austra - Olympia [Domino Records]

Artist:
Austra

Title:
Olympia

Label:
Domino Records

Cat#:
WIGCD314, WIGLP314 & WIG314D

Release Date:
17th June 2013

Format:
CD, vinyl & digital

Tracklist:
01)
What We Done?

02)
Forgive Me

03)
Painful Like

04)
Sleep

05)
Home

06)
Fire

07)
I Don’t Care (I’m a Man)

08)
We Become

09)
Reconcile

10)
Annie (Oh Muse, You)

11)
You Changed My Life

12)
Hurt Me Now

13)
Mayan Drums
[feat. Gina X]

Track 13 is bonus for itunes

Info (English):
Olympia is an album of transformation. Though it has only been two years since Austra’s 2010 debut Feel It Break, it presents a quantum evolution in the Toronto-based band’s sound, structure and style.

After three years of non-stop international touring with the likes of the XX, Grimes and the Gossip, when it came time to record Olympia, Austra had evolved into a complex collaborative effort between its six members. “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 Katie Stelmanis, the principal songwriter/vocalist.

Olympia is also the first confessional record for Stelmanis as evidenced by the heartfelt lyrics of piano driven lead single “Home” (stream now). “Home” expresses the anxieties of waiting up all night for a lover to return. “I was mad and upset and the song just wrote itself,” says the singer. The album touches on a range of sentiments that stem from a relationship ending, a relationship beginning, and friends’ struggles with addiction and motivation. Despite the sometimes dark lyrics written in collaboration with band member Sari Lightman, Olympia is bubbly and buoyant— fundamentally a dance record, which Stelmanis says was the band’s aim all along. “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.”

Though Olympia is filled with electronic and synthetic sounds that reference everything from Trax Record classic cuts to Yazoo’s Upstairs At Eric’s, it’s free of programming and loops. Everything was played live by the band in the studio and all of the percussion including a wild set up of marimbas and congas was performed by drummer Maya Postepski. “Maya played a huge role in the production of the album,” says Stelmanis, who has been playing with the drummer for eight years since 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 album was produced by Austra with additional production by Mike Haliechuk, vocal production by Damian Taylor (Bjork, the Killers), engineered by Bill Skibbe and Leon Taheny and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Erasure, Hot Chip).

Austra is Katie Stelmanis (lead vocals), Maya Postepski (drums), Dorian Wolf (bass), Ryan Wonsiak (keys), Sari & Romy Lightman (backing vocals).

Info (German):
Mit dem Debütalbum Feel It Break landeten Austra 2010 einen Überraschungshit, der sich eher von hinten durch die Brust ins Auge, denn mit einem Knall ins Bewußtsein der Nation gegraben hat. Kaum einer, der diesen Ohrwurm nicht schon irgendwo gehört und nicht mehr losgeworden war: “Don´t wanna lose you, don´t wanna lose….” Der Spiegel schrieb sehr treffend: “Dieses Lied kennt kein entkommen. Es ist bekloppt, nervtötend und großartig. Wer es einmal im Kopf hat, bekommt es tagelang nicht mehr heraus.”

Nun legen Austra mit Olympia am 14.Juni ihr zweites Album vor. Olympia ist ein Album der Transformation: obwohl seit dem Debütalbum “Feel It Break” erst drei Jahre vergangen sind, hat sich der Sound der in Toronto ansässigen Band in Struktur und Stil extrem weiterentwickelt.

Nach drei Jahren ununterbrochenem Touren um den ganzen Globus mit Bands wie The XX, Grimes und Gossip haben sich die drei ursprünglichen Bandmitglieder zusammen mit den drei Begleitern zu einer perfekt funktionierenden sechsköpfigen Einheit entwickelt. “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” erklärt die treibende Kraft, Sängerin Katie Stelmanis.

Olympia ist außerdem ein Album, auf dem sich Katie Stelmanis als Songwriterin erstmalig emotional entblößt. So handelt etwa die pianolastige Single “Home”von der Angst, die ganze Nacht darauf zu warten, dass die Geliebte zurückkehrt. “I was mad and upset and the song just wrote itself,” sagt Stelmanis. Das Album berührt neben schmerzhaft vertrauten Themen, wie dem Ende einer Beziehung, auch gute Seiten wie Freundschaft oder Verknalltsein. Auch wenn die Lyrics, die Stelmanis zusammen mit Background-Sängerin Sari Lightman schrieb, häufig düster sind, so ist das Album dennoch ein sprudelndes 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.”

Obwohl Olympia vor elektronischen Synthiesounds geradezu übersprudelt, hat die Band dennoch alles live im Studio eingespielt, unter anderem mit Maya Postepski an Marimbas und Congas: “Maya played a huge role in the production of the album,” so Stelmanis, die schon seit acht Jahren mit der Schlagzeugerin Postepski zusammenarbeitet, unter anderem in ihrer vorherigen Band Galaxy. “There is a major percussive element running through every song,” erzählt Stelmanis lachend, “this is the album where we discovered rhythm.”

Die Produzentenarbeit übernahm die Band selbst mit Hilfe von Mike Haliechuk, Damian Taylor (Björk, The Killers), Bill Skibbe, Leon Taheny und Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Erasure, Hot Chip).

Austra sind Katie Stelmanis (Gesang), Maya Postepski (Schlagzeug), Dorian Wolf (Bass), Ryan Wonsiak (Keyboard), Sari & Romy Lightman (Backgroundgesang).

Listen:

more soon

Full Track Streaming:
@ NPR

Videos:
“Home”

” “Painful Like (Live @ Scion Sessions)”

more soon

Live Dates:
13th March – SXSW @ Vice Land, Austin (USA)
14th March – SXSW @ Hype Hotel, Austin (USA)
15th March – SXSW @ The Mohawk, Austin (USA)
16th March – SXSW @ Elysium, Austin (USA)
16th March – SXSW @ Old Emo’s, Austin (USA)
02nd June – Forbidden Fruit Dublin (Ireland)
06th June – Plaza, Zürich (Switzerland)
07th June – Südpol, Luzerne (Switzerland)
08th June – L’Amalgame, Yverdon-les Bains (Switzerland)
10th June – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
12th June – Le Nouveau Casino, Paris (France)
14th June – Lido, Berlin (Germany) >> Tix@Koka36
17th June – Hoxton Bar & Grill, London (Great Britain)
20th June – Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York City (USA)
23rd June – Troubadour, Los Angeles (USA)
26th June – The Independent, San Francisco (USA)