'HiRUDiN': Katie Stelmanis' Austra breaks down toxic relationships in emotional album built on love and loss
Canadian electronic music band Austra has released its fourth album, 'HiRUDiN', which serves as an interesting change-up to the sound the band has created so far.
Founded by composer, singer-songwriter and producer Katie Stelmanis, the project has featured a rotating line-up of musicians over its nearly 10-year run. Stelmanis' sound has generally been classified as indie-rock and new wave and Austra's previous records have reflected her willingness to experiment within this genre.
The band's previous record, 'Future Politics', also demonstrated Stelmanis' ability to channel her experiences, particularly her understandings of politics, postcapitalism, and accelerationism into her lyrics in addition to her ability to blend genres like house, dance and techno music into her existing sound.
On 'HiRUDiN', Stelmanis takes the lyrical skill and genre-bending abilities she has already demonstrated in Austra's previous work and pushes the limits even further, this time shedding the focus on external power structures in favor of looking inward.
'HiRUDiN' is an emotionally charged record that is built around love and loss. It revolves around the experience of a toxic relationship detailing the hurt and pain that stems from being in such a space and the seemingly inescapable patterns of behavior that keep us in that space, as well as the eventual feelings of breaking free and rediscovering oneself outside the confines of this abuse.
To that end, 'HiRUDiN' is a journey of healing and self-discovery. It focuses on finding the power to rebuild yourself by exploring your own inner desires and confronting your inner demons along the way.
And that, perhaps, is why this album isn't quite as seamlessly cohesive as 'Future Politics'. Instead, it feels more like a long and winding road with a few surprising turns into brand new territory, making it far more representative of the tumultuous journey it is taking us on.
Speaking about how the album came about, Stelmanis states the constant writing, producing, and touring took its eventual toll on her, and she felt stagnant and uninspired.
She shares, "I was losing faith in my own ideas." And it was from within this space of uncertainty that she found herself in the throes of a toxic relationship that was tearing her apart.
And out of this experience was born the spark of inspiration for 'HiRUDiN'. Stelmanis states, "My creative and personal relationships were heavily intertwined, and I knew the only answer was to part ways with all of the people and comforts that I’d known for the better part of a decade and start again."
The new-found inspiration shifted Stelmanis' approach to both life and making music. She worked with a new lineup of producers as well as improv musicians she'd never met before, which included members of contemporary classical improv group c_RL, the cellist and kamanche duo Kamancello, kulintang ensemble Pantayo and even a children’s choir.
She spent the initial months of 2018 holed up in the Spanish countryside putting new lyrics together and weaving together the material she recorded with a kaleidoscope of samples, rearranging it till she found the sound she was looking for.
"I found myself really enjoying the role of producer for this record...directing and arranging a very disparate array of parts and people and feeling strong in my own conviction for what I wanted it to sound like."
The creative process that Stelmanis developed allowed her to freely build a record that was true to her experiences. "As I put together a final tracklisting, I realized the songs deeply reflected what I myself had gone through," she reflects. "Feeling insecure and in a toxic relationship, coming out of it, and then healing."
And thus, the title of 'HiRUDiN' was born. Stelmanis shares, "Thinking about toxic relationships, I started reading about leeches. I learned that when they suck your blood, they release a peptide called hirudin that is the most potent anticoagulant in the world."
"So, although leeches themselves are considered parasitic, they also have the ability to heal. As with toxic relationships, which give you an opportunity to grow and learn more about yourself."
This journey and understanding are fully reflected across the album. 'Risk It' sees Stelmanis vulnerably share her fears around leaving a relationship, while 'All I wanted' has the artiste boldly declaring she's leaving, no matter what.
'How Did You Know' has her contemplate the possibility of new love, and 'Messiah' has Stelmanis share new wisdom on finding balance within a relationship.
Musically, this album sees Stelmanis bounce between upbeat contemporary indie-pop to more classical and grand tracks with hauntingly emotive vocals to tie it all together. This album is Stelmanis' catharsis, one that equally introspective and bold in both its sound and message.
Stream or order 'HiRUDiN' at AustraMusic. Follow Austra on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more.