You’re a dove in a thunderstorm.
That was my first introduction to the singer Aurora.
As a promotion with the 2019 video game “Sky: Children of Life”, the Swedish musician performed a live concert in the game itself, with players able to fly around as different characters across music videos for the songs.
Aurora herself was also in the game, appearing as a sort of fairy guiding players through the digital experience.
And indeed being a dove guided through storm clouds by a musical fairy comes fairly close to summing up the experience of strapping on headphones and listening to an Aurora record.
“Ethereal” is the word most often used to describe the sort of music the 28-year-old makes.
And that holds true for her latest release: “What Happened to the Heart?”
Maybe it’s the colors of her album art, or maybe it’s just memories of the “Sky” concert, but listening to Aurora’s music, I can’t help but picture a bright white color that you can reach for but never touch.
Her falsettos on tracks like the album opener “Echo of My Shadow” just seem to drift up and out of reach in the most gorgeous way.
That’s true of most Aurora songs in general. But even as a fan for many years, this album honestly blew me away.
The amount of head-rush moments in this album where the song suddenly lands, launches or takes a hard turn right are just incredible.
Take the climax of one of the earliest songs in the album, “Your Blood”. I challenge anyone to put that song on in a good mood and not have a smile on your face when that part hits.
Other tracks like the driving “Some Type of Skin” sound way too big for headphones alone and I can already picture them being incredible with a full concert crowd.
Compared to the more in-your-face ‘80s drum kicks of her last album — and I mean that in the best way possible — much of the first half of “Heart” feels like a return to the soaring sounds of Aurora’s earlier work.
But that’s up until we hit the album’s ninth track, the absolutely stunning “A Soul With No King.”
Over haunting mandolin strings, thick guitars and sharp snare rolls, Aurora croons:
I know you feel me,
your heart unfulfilled.
Like a world with no mother
and a home never built.
The track marks the midpoint of the album and a clear divide between a bright opening and a descent to a darker finale.
In album notes for the record, Aurora writes of medieval times where doctors believed that a human’s essence lay not in our minds but in our hearts.
Of course, we now know it’s our brains running the show, but Aurora wonders where then does that leave the heart?
And the second half of the album almost seems like the time where we lost that romantic notion of the heart and fell into the cold reality of the mind with the songs on the album’s second half taking on a distinctly darker tone.
Throughout the album, Aurora showcases the vocals that are her greatest musical talent. Her Scandinavian accent adds those distinctive little lilts to songs like “Starvation.”
But I also hear her channeling her best Fiona Apple on the track “The Dark Dresses Lightly” and the sharp melodies of a Karen O on “The Blade.”
Again, though, if we already know her vocals are going to be wonderful, it’s what she sings them over that makes the difference and the beats and melodies on this album are just pure ear candy.
“Heart” seems to be the culmination so far of Aurora’s decade-long career. After dipping her toes in all flavors of pop and techno, she’s crafted something truly special here.
I give “What Happened to The Heart?” five stars out of five.
Have you listened to “What Happened to the Heart”? What did you think? Email Ben Rowe at browe@pressrepublican.com with your thoughts and takeaways.