React & Review: AURORA - A Different Kind Of Human (Step II)
Planting The Seed of great music.
I’d be lying if I said I’ve heard of this artist before. I’ve never heard of AURORA before, nor do I believe she’s ever been featured in any songs I’ve heard of. AURORA was actually a recommendation from my best friend, Andraya.
I have no idea what to expect other than this is allegedly a left-field pop album. Which, if you know me, is right up my alley. Dance-pop, alt-pop, whatever you want to call it. That’s me and it’s calling my name.
So without further ado, here’s my first reaction and full review of AURORA’s A Different Kind Of Human (Step II).
The River
Spacious, very spacious. That soundstage is insane. I love how low the kick drum and bass are. It gives a sense of "low definition."
If I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure if this track is for me. It’s not quite hitting for me. But I’ll reserve my final opinion for later. Sometimes a first track doesn’t hit, even if it’s from an artist I know and love.
Animal
I love the intro to this track. The synths are great. The percussive instruments are great too. The first verse is to die for. I think I’m in for a treat.
I am falling in love with the pre-choruses. It slows everything down and strips everything back to the basics. We all know I’m a sucker for those.
The bridge is to die for, though. The pulsating bass/synth doesn’t have a ton of sub-bass to it, but packs quite a punch.
I just realized that her vocal productions are fairly pure. Doesn’t sound like much de-essing was done. I’ll let you decide if that’s a positive or a negative cause you could poke an eye out with those S’ and T’s.
This track is a certified head bopper. I can’t get enough of it, especially the outro. 🙂
Dance On The Moon
Okay, of the three songs I’ve heard so far, I’ve found it really interesting that her and her production team tend to tease you at the beginning of every song and then completely throw that sound out completely. It’s definitely a vibe.
Her vocal production is exceptional, and I’m only 15 seconds in. Very spacious and has a ton of reverb to give it that extra sense of space. The trail off is insane. Combine that with the kick drum which is probably one of the softest kicks I’ve ever heard. Oh my god, those vocal chops in the chorus. I’m in absolute awe. Again, I want to congratulate the vocal producer here.
It’s going to sound super repetitive but the bridge just sounds so spacious. It scratches my brain in a very satisfying way.
And of course, it does. Of course, the song ends with even more vocal chops/ad libs. I know we’re only three songs in so far, but this track really resonated with me.
Daydreamer
This might become a recurring theme but the spaciousness absolutely got me here, too. The percussion and her vocals both have a wetter sound with an absolute ton of reverb, making it very satisfying to listen to.
That kick drum being as deep and as defined as it compliments the rest of the production thus far (I’m only 32 seconds in). Then, of course, there’s the bass which is even lighter and is pushed way underneath everything else.
I’m almost questioning if she actually has a backing vocal on this track or if it’s just a single vocal track that’s doubled and panned. It’s hard to tell.
Yeah, let me just walk all that back because there’s the pre/chorus with a very obvious backing track. Oops. The claps are very well done here, too.
The bridge is so smooth. The subtle ramp into the final chorus is fantastic. And of course, the vocals on the final chorus are truly exceptional. The ad lib work is fantastic.
Hunger
The vocal pattern is very interesting. I’m only about 25 seconds in, but it’s definitely a vibe. We’ll see where it goes but that’s the best way to put it: interesting.
For me, the power of this track is its abstractness. If you’re like me who’s seeking a pattern in music, this song might break your brain.
I’ll have to revisit this track for that reason. I’m not quite sure whether or not I like it. But I find it interesting enough that I think I want to give it another shot. I have it hearted for now.
Soulless Creatures
Can’t help but notice this is a five minute track. This is all. Let’s continue.
The scratching is quite interesting. I can’t quite put my finger on what it’s emulating, but it’s an interesting way to start a song.
Let me be the broken record but that vocal production is straight up awesome. No notes. The echo at around the one minute mark is equally as awesome.
The abstractness is what’s drawing me into this track. In a way that the Hunger did not. This song feels a bit melodramatic as well.
And of course the vocal chops at around the 3:15 mark. I’m dead and feel like I’m ascending.
I think I’m learning that she’s a very vocal centric artist. Not to say that her vocals carry the tracks I’ve heard thus far, but it’s by far the thing I’m appreciating the most.
In Bottles
The ad libs at the beginning of the track makes this an instant add to library for me. It’s the first track it’s happened on the album. But I almost want to say it’s an instant certified head bopper as well. The beat is killer, too.
Nothing new, but her vocals are fantastic. I just don’t know what else to say.
The pre-chorus is great with the hi-hat pattern, soft kick and bass, and again, her vocals.
It, in fact, is a certified head bopper. I’m finding myself jamming out to the track in a way I haven’t done with any of the other tracks thus far. I’m also falling in love with the way her and her production team do bridges, too. Some may say it’s repetitive, but I disagree. They all do it in a similar, yet unique way. It’s like laying down on the softest pillow you can find.
Will it be in my top three on the album? More than likely. I love it.
A Different Kind Of Human
Ah yes, the title track. Y’all already know I have a love/hate relationship with title tracks. Some of them are really good, others I avoid completely. Let’s see how this goes.
I’m about a minute into the track and I have no idea what to make of it. Nothing’s really standing out at the moment.
That chorus is insane, though. I love the kick drum pattern, most commonly used in EDM/dance music. Very quick and in rapid succession. It blends well with the long bass note as well. Or maybe I have that reversed, I’m not quite sure.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an AURORA track without very nice vocal chops. I’m in love with the vocal chops, but that’s nothing new at this point. The slightly pushed back reversed vocal at around the 2:15 mark is a very cool effect, too.
More vocal chops at the 3:05 mark... I’m ready to be put to rest because holy wow. Again with the reversed vocals, very well done.
Apple Tree
Of course, the in-your-face intro is killer. I am in absolute awe of her syncopated vocals here.
Another certified head bopper, I think. I’m about a minute in but the beat and percussion are really speaking to me. And it sounds like for the first time, we’re getting a really sub-bass bass. I might even say that might be an 808. If anything it’s making me want to give this a listen on my speaker setup with a proper subwoofer.
This is by far one of her more mainstream pop-forward tracks. Not a bad thing, not at all. I think it’s slowly becoming one of my favorite tracks on the album, and fast.
The bridge keeps the same structure as all the other tracks. A sense of ambiance and space, stripping things back to the absolute essentials.
This track kept my attention the entire time. I was bopping my head the entire time. It’s a truly exceptional track in my book.
The Seed
Naturally, after a very pop-forward track, we have a much more laid back track. Those synths are very good. Her backing vocals are icing on the cake. The build up before the chorus is absolutely insane. It pays off super nicely going into the chorus.
This track actually reminds me a lot of Lindsey Stirling’s Til the Light Goes Out. But obviously, it has a lot of similarities with other tracks, too.
But again with her vocals here, truly on a whole different level. Everything from her raw vocals, the vocal effects, and her overall vocal production on this album have been really stellar so far.
I do think this track will ultimately be in that top half as well. Not a head bopper, but I really enjoyed it. The production is excellent.
Mothership
Alrighty, the last track on the album. Notably, one of the shorter tracks, too, coming in at only 2:16.
Her raw vocals on this track are a step above everything else. Unlike the rest of the songs, her vocals here sound very intimate, close, and most importantly: raw.
I didn’t need to be convinced that her vocals are incredible, but this track just showcases it even more in the most beautiful way possible.
Conclusion
I really liked the second half of the album a lot more than I did the first. The vibe completely changed. I still like the first half of the album quite a bit, but the second half is really where I felt at home.
Even so, looking back, 10 out of 11 tracks hearted is pretty high praise from me. I’d be really surprised if A Different Kind Of Human (Step II) makes it to my top five at the end of the year. But, Animal, A Different Kind Of Human, Apple Tree, The Seed, and Mothership are most certainly the standout tracks from my initial listen.
But even beyond that, the thing that stood out to me the most was her vocal performance. Her vocals are the highlight of the album and whoever was mixing and mastering it really knew how to dial everything all in. To say I’m in love with her vocals is an understatement. It’s next level.
Her vocals make me very excited to listen to some of her other albums and material. It’s just that good.
NOTE: This reaction and review was completed after listening to AURORA’s A Different Kind Of Human (24-bit, 48 kHz) on the Tidal desktop application with an active Tidal subscription.