AURORA’s next era has begun. The muse has descended upon the earth with a special message to tell of vulnerability and of heartache. Using her talents as her open arms, she’s created a body of work that defies the boundaries of genre, and will breathe life to even those who are stiff and unmoving as stone.
What Happened To The Heart is a calling upon all who listen to “heal the land” and it happens to be also her most cathartic album to date. Recorded between Norway, Germany, London and Los Angeles, the record sees AURORA reunite with frequent collaborators, as well as create with new ones, including Ane Brun, Matias Tellez (girl in red, Maisie Peters), Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, Chris Greatti (Yungblud, Blink-182, Pussy Riot), Dave Hamelin (Beyoncé, King Princess, Zara Larsson), and Magnus Skylstad, who has been with AURORA since her first album, All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend. From haunting folkloric melodies to throbbing techno beats… YES, TECHNO… we weren’t expecting it either… each collaborator infuses their own style into the album adding depth and dimension to AURORA’s introspective journey.
Throughout the course of the album, AURORA takes us through sonic twists and turns unlike anything we’ve heard from her yet. For those who are just taking a deep dive into the world and the mind of AURORA, this album is just about as good as any ever will be. Know that nonetheless, fans new and old are in for a treat.
From here, we take a moment to digest our favorite aspects of the album. The visuals, the heart-wrenching and beautifully crafted lyricism, and the stylistic textural notes that haven’t been heard before from AURORA until now.
First is the opening song, “Echo of My Shadow“. It haunts the ears with AURORA’s signature vocals and acoustic, moody pacing. It’s a beautiful start to the artist’s newest chapter, leaving fans where they were left off in the cliffhanger that was “A Little Place Called The Moon” from her previous album, The Gods We Can Touch. With the song’s strings, we are awoken, our first breaths played out in the song.
During the chorus, AURORA’s voice reaches angelic heights, making goosebumps guaranteed.
AURORA sings about the terrors of human existence, such as the burden of consciousness and how we should stay in the light, even if life becomes unbearable. Love always wins and love will find us in the end. It compares the ancient and seemingly eternal mountains and rivers to the fleeting memories of people. It ends with the notion that even if the memory of us is bound to fade over time, our essence remains.
“To Be Alright” is a song that in its thematic goes all the way back to AURORA’s roots, asking the question of belonging, emotional well-being and the human experience as a whole, and while similar to All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend thematically, it’s newly refreshed and renewed. The song encourages all who listen to rid oneself of the worries and troubles of life and to dance and to bleed for what you stand for. And that must in a way be a form of experiencing life in its rawest form.
When most artists sing “la, la, la,” it often falls into the realm of mostly meaningless. AURORA seems to use her voice as her call to unite. As the song hits its final chorus, we hear each “la” cry out into angelically high notes, sequeling previous works of hers in skill and emotion. Sonically, AURORA dives into her deeper voice register in this song as well, proving once again that this woman’s vocal range is off the charts; enchanting and seemingly effortless.
As it addresses blood and how inseparable it is from the heart, “Your Blood” is another song about the human experience. Throughout the track, AURORA asks what matter the blood is made of, which can be associated with the question of “where you come from,” and its insignificance in the face of humanity. The song goes on about the struggles of being a human with its inner and outer conflicts.
The music video features AURORA in a red dress, while the other dancers wear white dresses, with the red symbolizing the blood. The dancers being a diverse group of people, only further the narrative that we are all equal. The scenes where their hands grab AURORA’s face from all sides feels very claustrophobic and emphasizes the cries for help amidst all the violence in the world. The second time they do, their hands are covered in blood. However, rather than being uncomfortable with the blood on her face, AURORA seems to be ecstatic. Similar bloody visuals were previously seen in the music videos to “Animal” and “Apple Tree” from her album A Different Kind Of Human – both songs being similar in their messages.
And we highlight this track because it shows a key into the mind and the soul of AURORA. We see one that deeply cares, and deeply bleeds upon seeing the struggle of the outer world, particularly in recent years. And this song becomes an outcry, a longing to see that we all are human and we all bleed the same. It’s hard to not be moved by this song, what with its lyricism that’s so packed with ache and a chorus that cannot keep one still.
“The Conflict Of The Mind” speaks to the troubled minds out there. It talks about the predicament of bottling up emotions and not talking about important topics in favor of avoiding emotions, awkwardness, or fights. The music video emphasizes this scenario as a family at the kitchen table celebrates the son’s birthday, while their faces say that there is obviously something on their minds. They avoid talking in order to make the boy feel as if everything was alright. The song states however:
“Only when I see you cry
I feel conflicted in my mind
It fills my heart up and it breaks me at the very same time”
Symbolizing the inner longing to talk things out and that this is all they want to do whenever it gets too much and someone cries.
“We find proof that love is hidden
In the conflict of the mind”
“Some Type Of Skin” accelerates and adds on to the building tension throughout the previous songs in the album. While similar to “Your Blood” in its messaging, the call for peace is more prevalent, more desperate than before. The lyrics are equally as symbolic of the album as a whole. It talks about the properties and the potential of the heart and what a “lack of heart” can do.
“Should my heart reveal itself to be
More than a muscle
Or a fist covered in blood…
We’re good people
and we both deserve peace.”
Read our full review of the track below:
After “The Essence,” which showcases a vulnerable acoustic introduction, referencing nature shedding its skin and becoming anew and the growing pains that are faced in that midst, we hear “Earthly Delights” with its insatiable humming melody and hook-ridden chorus that you just can’t help but want to sink your teeth into time and time again. We hear some more of AURORA’s roots with a deep electronic beat with samples of birds chirping as she sings of wandering far from the world and escaping from the sorrows. As the track continues to build, the meaning eclipses as the lyrics build on death, darkness, and loneliness.
From here, the album takes on a sonic shift. And we must say, you’re in for quite the ride. The seed has been planted in our hearts, as we should say…
AURORA has admitted that her favorite numbers are eight and eleven. Though she’s made claims that there’s no real meaning to it, fans have picked up on the tracks and their titles having a particularly interesting message relating to the albums they’re written from. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe it’s not.
“The Dark Dresses Lightly,” which we add is track number eight, is easily one of our favorites from the album. As it touches on sounds little heard from AURORA before with her deep harmonizing cries that hit the song’s intro and persist throughout the track. But then the melody builds during the bridge. The low melodies in the lyrics, “louder,” build as the pace quickens, and then it seems to burst at the seams. A primal energy seems to be unleashed as the lyrics seem to become a more dissonant chant and frantic cry, “do you feel it?” The song then ends with a shrieking “oh yeah!” as AURORA’s vocals crack.
Regarding the song’s meaning, we hear the lyrics “I guess I shouldn’t have held the knife in my heart for so long” in the chorus, which fits the album’s cover quite well, wouldn’t you say? This track also encourages the listeners to make amends and heal our inner wounds and our fear. Maybe without the darkness that plagues us and clouding us, we can unite and find some peace in seeking out one another rather than holding our cards to our chests.
“A Soul With No King” lyrically puzzles with its riddle-like lyrics. From what we gather, we sense one interpretation as dialogue between mother earth and humanity. Stylistically, the song’s clearly Nordic roots add to the connection with nature as it blends acoustic instrumentals with electronic guitar and creates a powerful anthem and calling to heal the world and give back some of what we’ve taken from it.
Next, “Dreams” embodies a sonic dream – especially in comparison to the rest of the album. Each note lilts and sways along with AURORA’s harmonizing vocals. And lyrically, we hear a rather dark contrast to the light sway the tune holds. In the world of dreams, we can escape from reality for but a moment; but as we wake, the terrors around us continue to persist. And in this juxtaposition, we feel an anxiety and a longing to escape. “My Name” (which we add is song eleven) effortlessly transitions from the previous track, yet quickens up the pace instrumentally. AURORA once again proves her mastery over combining the mystical and magical with the modern. The song addresses the significance of the own name and the lasting impact it has. Furthermore, it discusses the transience of existence and life and the fear of being forgotten.
“Far away somebody was given just another year (?)
Another departure in our atmosphere
Will you forget I was here?”
Continuing to pick up the pace, “Do You Feel” quickens the tempo from the previous track, but lightens the mood a little with its disco-inspired instrumentals and leading hook, “never give up on love.” It’s impossible not to move along to this song’s rhythm.
“Starvation” might be the one song that is bound to be stuck in our heads the most. AURORA takes a previously unseen direction with this one, expanding her repertoire into something that can very well hit hard at a rave. As she has stated in the past that she loves attending raves herself, it was only a question of time until we would hear AURORA herself taking a step into this direction. Don’t be fooled however. This is anything but a lighthearted dance song. “Starvation” clearly carries strong anti-war messages. It begins with the marching drums, and continues along with lyrics of missing kindness and care in humanity amidst high tensions around the globe.
“Why do we have to die
For us to see the light
When we hunger for love
Why do we touch the knife
When we long to feel alive
When we hunger for love
And the soul is starving”
After a particularly intense marching drum section, the song transitions into a heavy bass-drop, promising to blow the listeners’ minds. While it feels like the upbeat part of a rave song, where everyone goes wild, the thumping of the bass, over and over again, paired with AURORA’s echo slowly fading, might just as well symbolize the dropping of bombs. This is only emphasized when she pleads once again,
“Why do we have to die
For us to see the light”
The song abruptly stops in an unintelligible outcry. As a whole, the track is easy for just about anyone to listen to and to take a bite with its infectious melody and production, but take a dive and begin to digest the lyrics, and beware of its vicious bite in return.
You think that’s the end of what AURORA has to say? Not at all, for there’s more work to be done. Next up is “The Blade,” which you can right away deduce a stylistic similarity to its dance music inspiration by the name. However, the instrumentals used is a bass guitar instead of a sick acid line. It’s just as catchy nonetheless. But yet again, dive just a little deeper and you’ll find a much deeper meaning in the track. While it can be interpreted many ways, we think that there may be references to the death of the old self – the old fears, the rage, and the longing to comfort the inner child in oneself from the dangers they once faced. “I still feel her pain,” AURORA sings just before the chorus. “My Body Is Not Mine” sequels the previous track seamlessly in its production. The title suggests that beauty standards and societal norms might be the hindrance to happiness here. However, when AURORA sings about a demon in the line of her name and in the eye of her soul, which through the topic of paranormal possession would give the title a much more literal meaning.
Similar to how it was done in “The Conflict Of The Mind” for example, AURORA’s sampled voice is used as an instrument in this song. Towards the end, the song drops to zero, only to jump back to 100 in what feels like a glorious amalgamation of techno and rock.
“Feel no pain and I never cry
I bleed no blood and I never die
My body’s not mine”
And just like that, the album is at its close. AURORA concludes the album much like she begins it, with a calmer instrumental styling and inspirational lyrics. “Invisible Wounds” is just as good of a call to action as any. While we can’t see each other’s inner wounds, we need one another and we need to recognize that the world is a lonely place if we slowly lose touch with our own humanity, how we impact one another with our words and our actions. We can’t heal one another, “even if we wanted to,” but we still need to tend to the invisible wounds that create the rift between us all.
Stream the new album now, and stay tuned for updates on AURORA:
Writers: Helana Michelle and Robin
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