Aurora - A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times - there’s something special in that northern European water. Like so many of her peers, Aurora’s brand of glistening, ice clear pop is so fresh it’s positively glacial.

It’s an apt description, too. Following up on last year’s somewhat surprise drop for ‘Infection Of A Different Kind (Step 1)’, ‘A Different Kind Of Human (Step 2)’, it’s a record steeped in the consequences of our actions, and how they impact the world around us. Operating on such vast scales usually results in a bit of bloat, but even the pillars of politics, social structure and environmental meltdown can lessen Aurora’s shimmer.

Opener ‘The River’, in particular, feels like A Moment. A pulsing slice of pop perfection, it also has a definite edge, while the slow burn of ‘The Seed’ is run through with a primal rhythm - a full stop on a second chapter of something much bigger. With a suggestion that there’ll be another album early next year, expect that noise to grow louder still.

Dan Harrison