Aurora holds a special place in my jaded heart. Her magical voice and even more whimsical presence opened me up to a possibility there's indeed great mainstream-leaning pop out there. I say leaning because Aurora never chased fame, at least that's how I see it given her catalogue. She was always interested in exploring the human condition and has done so through her unique lens. And this approach struck many chords with me as there were no superficial ballads or oversexualized garbage in sight. Rather Aurora writes heartfelt, confrontational and liberating music, one rooted in deep introspection and empathy, the latter which I sometimes struggle with. Not in a literal sense but in how much of it's being feigned lately. Feigned for the sake of how other people (who you'll never meet) will perceive you. And when exposed to hundreds upon hundreds of these instances, the whole Ukraine situation being the most recent example, my knee jerk reaction becomes negative as I assume this empathy is not coming from a legitimate place.
This was never the case with Aurora which is why I respect her so damn much... that and her being absolutely beautiful. So when news about her long awaited new record finally broke, I was ecstatic as her previous effort A Different Kind Of Human (Step 2) was really good. This was further elevated when I saw the record title. The Gods We Can Touch, as it shockingly turns out, is NOT a sequel for Step 2 as I've anticipated but that didn't matter as I expected high quality, quirky and colorful pop regardless. And by the gods we will now touch upon did it deliver!
Joined once again by her long-time collaborator and ever-talented Magnus Skylstad, The Gods We Can Touch is a diverse offering, even by their already high standards. The first taste of this comes in shape of "Everything Matters", a piano-led and trip-hop infused ballad featuring Pomme that touches upon the importance of all the small things in life, which, when combined paint a greater picture. Something that eludes us when thinking big. Surprisingly laid back opening statement but the following track "Giving In To The Love" establishes the central theme, love. Simple, done to death, you know it.
The twist is how it bridges the gap between relevant societal issues and something more abstract like our relationship with deities, in this particular case via the Greek pantheon.
Really like how this spiritual aspect is not immediately apparent nor how it takes a side, it simply observes our tendencies to remove the humane side of what's quintessentially a human value - believing in a higher power by making these beings perfect which ironically, is something we never were.
Heady? Perhaps but when it comes to instrumentals it's all very accessible and I mean that in the best way possible. Case in point is the aforementioned "Giving In To The Love", an absolute scorcher with a line I immediately took liking to. She sings: "I never had the world so why change for it?" Not only is this applicable to a lot of people, honestly most people but it also directly addresses her recent resurgence in popularity thanks to the festering void of character and privacy violator known as Tik Tok.
Instrumentally, it's classic synthy Aurora with an anthemic chorus but the thing that stood out for me are the drums. They not only sound massive but have this driving, tribal-esque tone which adds gravitas, lovely stuff.
"Cure For Me" keeps the synth banger train rolling with a completely different approach. Where "Giving In To The Love" sounded a bit earthy and folky, this rager sounds like something off Persona 5 or another anime with a great soundtrack. Given my (willing) lack of knowledge in that field, I could be completely off but for me those playful synths in the pre-chorus and chorus evoke a very Japanese image for some reason. Also, this is another track with a great message that can be interpreted in many ways which I am always down for.
OK, so for the sake of conserving both your and my time, I won't be describing each particular track or praise how many things are pulled off amazingly, despite my strong urge to do so. Rather I'll attempt and focus on the things that surprised me most.
First off, the production. It's... honestly spectacular, one of the best produced records I had the pleasure of listening to... EVER. And this I feel will become immediately apparent to many. Even during the more minimal tracks such as "Exist For Love", I found myself in awe at how amazingly layered and nuanced everything is. Even the song says: "Like nothing is out of place".
Aurora's vocals are in the front yes but the instrumental aspect remains just as important and the best thing how there's not a single sterile texture or stylistic choice in sight.
Everything and I do mean everything sounds vibrant, balanced which is a big deal if you have tracks inspired by Latin music, chansons, Bonnie Tyler-like 80's pop, western soundtracks or folk music, to name some.
I could quite literally write a paragraph just about "Blood In The Wine" and how cool the background vocals are or how satisfying the guitar twang is during the chorus which also has these very subtle bell rings that strike each two or so bars OR how sick are the strings near the 1:34 mark. There are so many details like this in every song but as with every album, some stick the landing more, most in the middle part.
I will say, for a sixteen-track strong record, The Gods We Can Touch rarely misses which... well you get what it means haha.
Initially I did mind certain choices like relying on synthy bangers to counteract up the more introspective cuts which remains true but with time I've shifted my focus to the lyrics. As mentioned, I truly like the concept and message here but I still think more could've been done. For a theme as engrained in modern music as love, there sure is a clear lack of showcasing its more overtly toxic aspect, one that surpasses longing or acceptance of loss for example. Not projecting here I swear! Anyways, while Aurora comes close, it's not quite there yet in my oddly specific opinion. Still, one cannot argue that all of this comes from a pure place and that's something I don't expect changing... ever.
These complaints are, in the grand schemes of things, nothing as The Gods We Can Touch is nothing short of spectacular. For each flaw I sought, a strange sentence in itself, there were on average five things I adored. A record this realized, unique and cohesive in spite of a clearly diverse palette of influences deserves nothing but respect and as much as exposure as possible. Something seriously, SERIOUSLY good will have to pop up to dethrone this in its genre. Paramore being the only ones that come to mind currently (you forgot Everything Everything you dingus). Until that day, I'll be spending my time in these gardens like a little heathen that I am and you know what, maybe you should too!
The Gods We Can Touch was released through Decca Records on 21st January of 2022.
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