Austra is the musical vehicle of Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Katie Austra Stelmanis. Since her 2017 album Future Politics, she’s been out of the spotlights. It now appears, she’d got caught up in a toxic relationship that was tearing her apart. The good news is, the experience inspired her next album HiRUDiN, which is set for 1 May. Stelmaris explains: “Being in a toxic relationship can sometimes feel like being lost in a maze. Every attempt to turn a corner lands you back where you started. HiRUDiN is both a bold acknowledgement of such patterns of behaviour and a testament to the power of breaking them.”

Following Risk It, Anywayz is the second single to be released ahead of the long-player. “It explores the fear associated with leaving someone, and the terrifying realization that without them in your life, the rest of the world will continue unscathed as if nothing has changed.”

Anywayz is a wonderful, Sparks-like electronic indie-pop song, where Stelmaris sounds like a one-woman choir. Executed with other instruments, this could just as well have been a gothic rock smash. I’d love to hear that version one day 😉

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Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.