I recently spent the night at a friend's house in Toronto. While making breakfast, they played Austra's first record, Feel it Break, and I loved it from the minute it began. That was quite odd, as I normally do not like music like this, and when I asked my friend why, the simple reply was, "because it's good."
Feel it Break is a collection of dark, mid-tempo electo-synth. Lead singer Katie Stelmanis is a trained opera singer and played in the DIY riot grrrl band Galaxy. Austra's songs have deeply personal lyrics with a great queer-positive message. Their new record, 2013's Olympia, is ever so slightly more upbeat, but still atmospheric. Some reviews described it as danceable, which seems fair, though it is not a dance album.
I feel this show will be drastically different than the standard basement/warehouse punk shows I normally go to, and this prospect alone intrigues me. I am not the biggest fan of large venues, but seeing a band that I enjoy play to a hometown crowd should be great.
The show is tonight at the Phoenix Theater, 410 Sherbourne St. in Toronto, 9pm. The cost is $27.
~ Photo by Anais F. Afonso
why link the "clean" version. such a good band, wtf is 'clean' about blurred breasts?