by Donte Kirby
“Our lives have become this celebratory dance track in a sense,” says lead vocals of Canadian electronic band Austra. Katie Stelmanis is referring to the band’s new album Olympia. She explains how, despite the fact that unlike the band’s previous album, Feel it Break, “I would write the songs and finish them right there. This time I wouldn’t finish and bring them to the rest of the band. It was live in studio, we were in the studio every day for like a month.” Despite the collaborative effort of writing, she felt this album was more personal than the previous.
Like the band’s name Austra, which is also the middle name of Stelmanis, the album title is also the name of a couple’s newborn who was integral to the conception of the album. “We wanted to commemorate their new birth with the album.”
Austra’s new USA tour began at the end of August and reaches Union Transfer on September 20th. The band is excited because they finally can add the light show to the performance they always wanted. “We couldn’t afford a guy to work the lights but now we found a new cool technology that allows us to set it up before the show,” explains Stelmanis.
Veterans now, Stelmanis knows the most important part of a show and to make a tour successful- stay relaxed. Austra will be touring for the next year so for fans looking to catch a live show the time is now.
As Stelmanis says, their lives have become a celebratory dance track. When Austra comes to town this week, be sure to dance along.
