The Weekly Coos

Aurora takes chances even when the messages/themes are thinly veiled within bombastic and colorful beats, and that’s been a captivating feature of her artistry; the push to take another step and give the music a stage larger than that of the vocals or songwriting, amplifies the latter more. Though songwriting is subjective, it’s one strength of Aurora, who beautifully composes records to speak to wider issues than just the personable while emoting from the soul. Her latest album, What Happened To The Heart?, continues to make the music speak through emotional channels like dissociation, fear, and kinship as she does so on “Your Blood,” the first single off the album. When I jumped into Aurora’s new album, I was rather ignorant of the singles, as I wanted to come in with a fresh mind on the music; in doing so, I left more enamored with it, especially through the production, which takes different shapes from previous albums while bridging new and old concepts through nuanced folk-like vocals. Pacing can push down the impact of What Happened To The Heart?, especially in some retreads, but the production holds the most weight as it buoys surprises.

Emotional depth and its production are why What Happened To The Heart? Stood out—alongside her naturalistic painting in her writing, she gives us something to connect to. Aurora wants her music to be this everlasting presence that doesn’t take shortcuts and consistently paints detailed images within her allusions, then, colored by the production, are a concoction for great stuff. Aurora isn’t flowing with a one-track mind, seeming to care less about the clashing levels, whether vocals or production via sobering sounds to the more eclectic and enigmatic. Aurora gives us more loud than smooth, with a lavish wind down at the end as she bridges sectors with more softening vocals to create scene-stealing moments. For the album, the middle is where tracks feel more enlightened by their support, opening the doors to latch onto her words at the expense of taking milder and slightly underwhelming turns. It goes to benefit the album hooks you instantly with the angelic and ominous “Echo of My Shadow,” setting this connection for us to tack on as she delivers some emotional bangers, like the witchy “The Dark Dresses Lightly,” which feels like something out of 1600s Salem if they had synths.

Unfortunately, there is an imbalance from some tracks in the middle that can play it mildly safe, despite aspects of the writing staying captivating and focused like tracks before. We hear it with “The Essence,” “Earthly Delights,” and “Dreams,” which are mildly safe tracks that do best with their given direction, but the ballad-like nature of the former and latter don’t do much with its minimalism to feel unique, instead feeling like “Earthly Delights,” where the production sounds like it was part of a track made for her previous record. It’s why tracks like “Your Blood,” “A Soul Of A King,” and most of the closing few have these lavish hooks to catch and reel you in with its emphatic bombast. “Your Blood” anthemic Dance-Pop production sets the expectancy for the album’s shift, you feel a breath of fresh air when you hear the glitches in “My Name” and the club bangers begin. “The Essence” and “Earthly Delights” feel slightly more catered to Aurora sensibilities, creating a mild pause because, though solid tracks, they don’t have the zeal of others with similar tempos.

What’s quirky about What Happened To The Heart?, but also exceptional, is that it shifts the gambit on the listener and takes her journey through the EDM world. We get the anthemic and loud “The Blade” and “The Body Is Not Mine,” which have these unique tinges from varying elements; the latter is heavily synth-driven, while the former looks to mold the Folktronica sound of the late 00s and is you let in infuse you, you’re given a standing blow that makes you wish Aurora made a bold and crash album that aims to push past what seems like comfort zones, specifically the ambient factor getting reduced. It’s what makes some of these brighter spots amongst the fray much more kaleidoscopic, like the beautifully composed and live instrumentations of “A Soul With No King” or the smoother, more contemporary pop hit of “The Conflict of Mind.” What made me sit back and see what Aurora is aiming for was the techno influence of “Starvation,” bridging what she does with something that feels slightly like a time capsule, painting scenes of what gets talked about with 90s German Rave culture. 

What Happened To The Heart? is self-destructive in the process of healing as we hear her spout emotional integrity, like anger and fear, and allow us to see this side of her. Though it isn’t that new, it’s refreshing to see an evolution when tackling these subjects and themes and giving it new life. It makes the whole journey worthwhile, even when there are bumps on the road, to get to the sweet spot at the end. I highly recommend this album even if it isn’t up your alley; I bet it’s enough to make you a fan.