Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1

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You are reading the page dedicated to AURORA's second studio album. You may have been wanting to read about the song by the same name.

Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1
Album
Artist	AURORA
Released	September 28, 2018
Recorded	2016-2018
Genre	Alternative Electropop Art Pop
Duration	33:14 / 33:10
Label	Decca Records Glassnote Petroleum Records
Producer(s)	AURORA Magnus Skylstad Electric Jakwob Couros Sheibani Tim Bran Roy Kerr Askjell
Singles
1.	"Queendom" April 16, 2018
2.	"Forgotten Love" August 17, 2018

Album Chronology
Previous	All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend
Next	A Different Kind of Human - Step 2

Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1 is the second album by Norwegian singer AURORA. It was released on September 28, 2018.

Background

On the day of releasing her debut All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, Aurora said that it was "the first album of many" that she has planned. As of May 12, 2016, after coming back from her European tour, she announced that she was ready to begin writing and producing more material. On October 16, during a Facebook live stream, she stated that she had 15 demo songs and had written around 1,000 songs to that date. In March 2018, Aurora said that her new album was done and that a possible release date was fall 2018.

Between April and August 2018, the singer released two singles, "Queendom" and "Forgotten Love", which were to be included on her second studio album. Aksnes recorded most of the album during her stay in France in January of that year, and the production involved AURORA herself, Askjell, Roy Kerr and Tim Bran. Some of the new material was performed live ahead of release, including at festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella.

While maintaining some of the themes and stories of the previous album, this production would mark the first time that Aksnes included political and sexual themes in her songs. She drew inspiration from the interaction she had with her fans and the places she visited while touring. The music video for Queendom saw its release in May 2018, and it included a message to her LGBT fans; such message was portrayed by Aksnes herself kissing one of her female dancers, during what was described as a "big kissing party" that shows that "every type of love is accepted and embraced" in the singer's "queendom".

In the days leading up to the album release, Aurora posted snippets of each song on her social media, these snippets are not taken from the final album tracks. A promotional video with footage from Once Aurora was also published.

On September 28, 2018, AURORA surprise-released Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1. The album features eight songs, including its title track, track 8, which Aurora declared as "the most important song I've ever written". The choice for little to no promotion was made because Aurora wanted her fans to hear the album first.

Initially only available in digital and streaming formats, the album was released on CD and LP in November 2019.

Tracklist

Standard edition

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 / 3:26
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
			Total duration:	33:14 / 33:10

Deluxe Edition (Japan-only)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Duration
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

• "Animal" (Confirmed)
• "Cocoon"
• "Feeling"
• "In Bottles" (Confirmed)
• "Kindness in the Glass"
• "Ocean Rose"
• "Perfume of Love"
• "Storm Manifesto"
• "The Medicine I Need"
• "The Secret Garden" (then titled "The Strange Paper Garden")
• "The Seed" (Confirmed)
• "The Storm"
• "The Wave"
• "Wavelength"
• "Witches"

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	191
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	7

Music videos

Queendom

Gallery

Promotional video

Photoshoot

The album artwork features photos by Morgan Hill-Murphy, the photo shoot can be seen here.

Trivia

• Aurora initially said the album would have 11 songs, but confirmed in a later interview changing it.
  • She then confirmed on July 22, 2018 that the album would have 8 songs.
• The songs on the album address issues such as domestic abuse, global warming, connection/connectivity, and fear of intimacy.
• The songs are mostly piano-driven with some harp touches. Overall, the initial goal was to use organic instruments.
• Aurora once said that she wanted to include some of her old songs and that she wanted to put a song that includes her native language.
• Her favourite song on the album is the title track.
• She also stated in an interview in 2017 that she did not know whether "Feeling", "In Bottles", and "Soft Universe" would be on the album since she had recorded many songs and it was hard enough to choose the ones that will make it.
  • "Soft Universe" made it onto the album, while "In Bottles" made it onto A Different Kind of Human - Step 2.
• Aurora wrote 40 songs for the album and chose the best of them.
• The album was originally expected to be released in November 2017.
• "Animal" was originally going to be the album's second single, but ended up being held for A Different Kind of Human - Step 2.
• A leaked album trailer showed that the album's title was originally Infections of a Different Kind - Vol. 1.
  • Part of the original tracklist is also shown: "Queendom", "Animal", "Beauty in Forgotten Love".
  • Another clip was used for various promotion.
• The title and a release date for the album were prematurely published in an interview with The Independent. These were later removed from the article and the mentioned date of September 14 turned out to be incorrect.
• On some of the album's releases from label Glassnote, "Forgotten Love" is slightly different from the version appearing elsewhere, most notable in the backing vocals.