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A Different Kind of Human - Step 2 is the third studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer AURORA. It was released on June 7, 2019.[1] It succeeds the album Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1, which was released in September 2018.
Background[]
On the same day of the release of Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1, Aurora confirmed in an interview with NME that Step 2 would be released either in 2019 or 2020.[2] Months after, she posted a photo which seems to be an alien invasion with a text that said "Something is coming in 2019" in Morse code, hinting that Step 2 would be set to release in 2019.[3]
On December 24, 2018, Aurora announced in an interview for Bergen Tidende that Step 2 was coming faster than expected, most likely because she and Magnus Skylstad had been in the studio for a very long time.[4] The album was in part recorded at an old premise of NRK in Bergen, Norway. The recording sessions finished on December 1, 2018.[5][6]
The first single for the album was "Animal", which was released on January 24, 2019.
On February 18, 2019, Aurora announced that the title would not be under the assumed title of Infections of a Different Kind - Step 2, but that it would have a different name. "It's kind of what I would hope for the music to do to us."[7]
On March 12, 2019, in an interview on B-Sides On-Air, Aurora confirmed Step 2 had already been recorded since November 2018.[8] Then in the end of March, "The Seed" was confirmed to be the second single from the project.[9] The album title and track list were revealed on April 4, 2019.
On May 10, 2019, "The River" was released as the album's third single, and the song "A Different Kind of Human" was released as the album's first promotional single on May 31, 2019.
About the album[]
In an interview with NME dated April 5, 2019, Aurora described Step 2 as "quite broad and wide, and my favourite thing about it is that it's quite schizophrenic. I'm quite an emotional person with many moods. I never know how I might feel on any given day and the album is like that too: it's quite angry, it's quite happy, hopeful, sad and playful too." She further said that "everyone will be able to find a song they like because it's very diverse", and that this time she explored herself more as a producer.[10]
In an interview with Clash Music she noted:
"It was while making Step One that we discussed splitting it up. I have so many songs and I realised that the whole concept was two different aspects of one process. One is internal and emotional (Step One) and about letting yourself be infected by something... but then that will turn you into 'A Different Kind Of Human' (Step Two). And when you're a different kind of human you can change the world and do something important. The album is about making the choice to become a different kind of human. Many people think it's about me, because I've always been a bit strange or different but it's nothing to do with me at all."[11]
Tracklist[]
Standard edition[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The River" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes, Mark Ralph | 3:37 | |
| 2. | "Animal" | Aurora Aksnes, Kill Dave, Toby Gad | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell, Kill Dave, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Toby Gad | 3:35 | |
| 3. | "Dance on the Moon" | Aurora Aksnes, Guy Sigsworth | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:36 | |
| 4. | "Daydreamer" | Aurora Aksnes, Peter Wade | AURORA, Askjell, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:39 | |
| 5. | "Hunger" | Aurora Aksnes, Fiona Bevan | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad | 2:46 | |
| 6. | "Soulless Creatures" | Aurora Aksnes, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | AURORA, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 5:02 | |
| 7. | "In Bottles" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:58 | |
| 8. | "A Different Kind of Human" | Aurora Aksnes, Askjell Solstrand | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell | 4:01 | |
| 9. | "Apple Tree" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | 3:08 | |
| 10. | "The Seed" | Aurora Aksnes, Nicolas Rebscher, Michelle Leonard | AURORA, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 4:26 | |
| 11. | "Mothership" | Aurora Aksnes, Askjell Solstrand | AURORA, Askjell | 2:16 | |
| Total duration: | 40:08 |
Deluxe Edition (Japan only)[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Queendom" | Aurora Aksnes, Couros Sheibani, Fiona Bevan, Jakwob | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Couros Sheibani, Jakwob | 3:27 | |
| 2. | "Forgotten Love" | Aurora Aksnes, Martin Sjølie | Magnus Skylstad, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 3:28 | |
| 3. | "Gentle Earthquakes" | Aurora Aksnes, Couros Sheibani, Fiona Bevan, Jakwob | Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 3:47 | |
| 4. | "All Is Soft Inside" | Aurora Aksnes, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 5:08 | |
| 5. | "It Happened Quiet" | Aurora Aksnes, Sacha Skarbek | Magnus Skylstad, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 4:09 | |
| 6. | "Churchyard" | Aurora Aksnes, Electric | AURORA, Electric | 3:45 | |
| 7. | "Soft Universe" | Aurora Aksnes, Couros Sheibani, Fiona Bevan, Jakwob | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Couros Sheibani, Jakwob | 3:59 | |
| 8. | "Infections of a Different Kind" | Aurora Aksnes | Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 5:27 | |
| 9. | "The River" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes, Mark Ralph | 3:37 | |
| 10. | "Animal" | Aurora Aksnes, Kill Dave, Toby Gad | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell, Kill Dave, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Toby Gad | 3:35 | |
| 11. | "Dance on the Moon" | Aurora Aksnes, Guy Sigsworth | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:36 | |
| 12. | "Daydreamer" | Aurora Aksnes, Peter Wade | AURORA, Askjell, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:39 | |
| 13. | "Hunger" | Aurora Aksnes, Fiona Bevan | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad | 2:46 | |
| 14. | "Soulless Creatures" | Aurora Aksnes, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | AURORA, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 5:02 | |
| 15. | "In Bottles" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr | 3:58 | |
| 16. | "A Different Kind of Human" | Aurora Aksnes, Askjell Solstrand | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Askjell | 4:01 | |
| 17. | "Apple Tree" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | 3:08 | |
| 18. | "The Seed" | Aurora Aksnes, Nicolas Rebscher, Michelle Leonard | AURORA, Tim Bran, Roy Kerr, Askjell | 4:26 | |
| 19. | "Mothership" | Aurora Aksnes, Askjell Solstrand | AURORA, Askjell | 2:16 | |
| 20. | "Exist for Love" | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Glen Roberts | AURORA, Magnus Skylstad | 4:14 | |
| 21. | "The River" (Live at J-WAVE (81.3FM)) | Aurora Aksnes, Magnus Skylstad, Odd Martin Skålnes | - | 3:43 | |
| Total duration: | 1:21:20 |
Possible outtakes[]
- "Cocoon"
- "Kindness in the Glass"
- "Ocean Rose"
- "The Storm"
- "The Sun"
- "Wavelength"
- "Witches" (confirmed)
Critical reception[]
On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream publications, A Different Kind of Human - Step 2 received an average score of 77, based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
Charts[]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) | 52 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 66 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 172 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) | 98 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 58 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 4 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 34 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 54 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 32 |
Music videos[]
Gallery[]
Photos of one of the vinyl releases (Decca, 2019):
Trivia[]
- All of the songs on the album's standard version have had their TV mixes leak, except for "Mothership".
- The symbols appearing on some editions spell either "THE MOTERSHIP IS COMIG FOR YOU" (with misspellings), or "THE MOTHERSHIP IS COMING FOR YOU".[13]
- The Japanese deluxe edition of the album, titled Infections of a Different Kind of Human, compiling Step 1 and 2, was released on September 16, 2020.[14]
References[]
- ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/ADKOHStep2
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/aurora-infections-of-a-different-kind-step-1-new-album-interview-2384198
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq91LTiFh4b/ (now defunct)
https://www.tumblr.com/aurora-daily/180797142832 - ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BqvJOZsFVjt/ (now defunct)
https://www.tumblr.com/aurora-daily/180598136727 - ↑ https://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/nyetakter/2019/06/07/aurora-jeg-er-en-maskin-en-folsom-maskin/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/auroramusic/comments/ll6smq/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjuSKcy2FeI&t=494s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbjceE68upE
- ↑ http://www.musikknyheter.no/intervjuer/19341/
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/aurora-inspiring-billie-eilish-chemical-brothers-explosive-new-album-different-kind-human-2472751
- ↑ https://www.clashmusic.com/node/108140
- ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/music/step-2-a-different-kind-of-human/aurora
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CQr_Sl6l83v/
- ↑ https://www.universal-music.co.jp/aurora/products/uico-1318/
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