Austra’s most inventive album yet, HiRUDiN is arresting on first listen as its many layers vie for space.
Made after Katie Austra Stelmanis (known by just her middle name) broke away from a toxic relationship, the album borrows its name from an anticoagulant produced by leeches.
Opener Anywayz charts the breakdown, a glorious electro-pop beat kicking in as she faces the fear of post-break-up life before concluding, reassuringly, that the “world keeps turning anyways”.
The Canadian’s classically trained voice should be the star of the show, as her impressive range showcases everything from the operatic (on the stunning How Did You Know?) to the piercing, high-pitched chorus of Risk It (which you’ll either love or hate). But all too often, her vocals are overshadowed by a cacophony of instruments, from crashing gongs to frantic beats, all recorded by musicians improvising.
The album’s 11 tracks are intriguing, but occasionally chaotic. When it works though, it works.
