Austra, the recording project led by Canadian vocalist and producer Katie Stelmanis, currently touring behind their third full length album Future Politics, returns to Atlanta tonight at Terminal West and has agreed to share her current tracks on repeat for our Monomania playlist.
While Stelmanis started writing Future Politics two years ago as a call for a better future, with the long planned release date of January 20th, 2017 being the same day that the 45th US President, Donald Trump, was inaugurated; the album’s meaning and impact in the current world climate has taken on a more evocative significance. While offering the album for free or pay-what-you-can via Bandcamp on the album release day, with any proceeds going to Planned Parenthood, Stelmanis posted on the Austra Facebook: “Two years ago, I started writing Future Politics in response to what I saw as a fast approaching dystopia. I meant it as a call to imagine something different, a better future. At the time, donald trump was not even on the radar- now here we are, confronted with his election and the impending dystopia is suddenly a reality. Our long planned release date now has the horrible significance of also being the day he takes office. This record is our commitment to envisioning something different as humans, something outside of the current systems of say what you want, take what you want, and give nothing back.”
Future Politics is Austra‘s biggest and most ambitious album to date, a powerful voice in today’s musical landscape. The beats are sweltering and heady, anthems fully ready for the dancefloor; songs that can inspire and give new surprises with each listen through the enclosure of headphones, while never short of the sultry and majestic vocals from Katie Stelmanis. The album was inspired by her time living in two cities – Montreal and Mexico City, when Stelmanis was driven to face the world’s ailments with positivity, purpose, and engagement, instead of taking the easy route and only seeing the despair. Future Politics is calling for radical ideas and joy, creativity and personal growth, it’s calling for us to get out of these dark ages together as equals, as one. There’s no doubt Austra will move you, and live, Austra will only serve to take you on a journey that will leave an impact.
Don’t miss the chance to catch Austra on tour now. Tonight, they play Terminal West in Atlanta (tickets here) with The Range and Dot.s and we caught up with Katie Stelmanis before the show to ask her what songs she currently has on repeat. Check out Katie’s picks below and thoughts on each song as Austra takes over this week’s Monomania Spotify playlist:
Chancha Via Circuito – “Cumbion de las aves”
“I was introduced to Chancha Via Circuito while living in Mexico City. We were in a cab and my friend put it on and I assumed it was music from a few decades ago, but learned he’s a young producer re-purposing indigenous folk music for the dance floor. A lot of producers are doing something similar in Latin America but this track is one of my favourites.”
Anna Domino – “Land of My Dreams”
“My friend played me this track a few months ago and I’ve been listening kind of non-stop ever since. There is something really hypnotic about it, and I think it already feels nostalgic even though I’ve only known about it for a short amount of time.”
Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy”
“I never really listened to Massive Attack but we played a festival in Europe with them a few years ago and I stuck around to watch their set. I was totally blown away and proceeded to buy their entire back catalog, this song is one of my favoriteS of theirs.”
Nina Simone – “Sinnerman”
“I remember when one of my first roommates first played me Nina Simone. I didn’t really know what I was listening to but loved it anyways. This song has a breakdown in the middle that is just Nina alone on the piano playing a simple broken chord and I never tire of listening to it.”
Lido Pimienta – “Agua”
“I met Lido Pimienta in Toronto while DJing Chancha Via Circuito at a party. It turns out they are friends and have collaborated a lot, so naturally we became friends. Lido is an incredible vocalist and producer with a lot of stories, she performs as if she’s been doing it since she was born and I therefore encourage you to never miss a show should you have the opportunity.”
All tracks on Spotify added to our “Monomania” playlist (kept fresh with 30 songs at a time). Listen:
Austra Tour Dates:
February 1 | Terminal West | Atlanta, GA *
February 2 | Gasa Gasa | New Orleans, LA *
February 3 | Trees | Dallas, TX *
February 4 | Mohawk | Austin, TX *
February 5 | Lowbrow Palace | El Paso, TX *
February 7 | Valley Bar | Phoenix, AZ *
February 8 | Casbah | San Diego, CA *
February 9 | El Rey Theater | Los Angeles, CA *
February 11 | Mezzanine | San Francisco, CA *
February 13 | Holocene | Portland, OR *
February 14 | The Crocodile | Seattle, WA *
February 17 | Triple Rock Social Club | Minneapolis, MN *
February 18 | Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL *
February 19 | Magic Stick | Detroit, MI *
March 4 | Paradiso | Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 6 | Uebel & Gefährlich | Hamburg, Germany
March 7 | NIEBO | Warsaw, Poland
March 8 | Astra | Berlin, Germany
March 9 | Muffatwerk (Ampere) | Munich, Germany
March 10 | Conne Island | Leipzig, Germany
March 11 | Posthof | Linz, Austria
March 12 | WUK | Vienna, Austria
March 15 | Biko Club | Milan, Italy
March 16 | Les Docks | Lausanne, Switzerland
March 17 | Dampfzentrale | Bern, Switzerland
March 18 | Gloria Theater | Cologne, Germany
March 21 | Patterns | Brighton, UK
March 22 | Village Underground (Convergence) | London, UK
March 23 | Summerhall | Edinburgh, UK
March 24 | Deaf Institute | Manchester, UK
March 25 | The Button Factory | Dublin, Ireland
* w/ The Range
