Live Review: Experience Aurelia's halcyonic vision of 'America'

There's nobody quite like AURELIA. With her penchant for rich and vivid tunes that paint vivid pictures of bygone days and hopeful futures, her music is one-of-a-kind. With her latest cut 'America', she's truly outdone herself, creating an odyssey of existence through music alone.

Aurelia has received Grammy nominations and Top 10 Billboard listing via her songwriting for other artists, and these chops have been clear as day on her solo work. Her debut, 'Are We Losing', was a gentle introduction to her smoky and melancholic style. It was her follow-up 'Chest' that pulled out all the stops: it was a magical and dense track with a unique mix of indie-pop with ambient production and a hearty dose of Americana. 'America' dials up this magic: it's a distillation of countless influences and sounds into one indescribable package.

Aurelia is one of those artists where her influences are very clear, but her work is utterly unique. 'America' has the thick and ethereal sound of Enya, vocals like a combination of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks, and a hint of anachronism from contemporaries like Lana Del Ray. The result is a sublime journey through feelings of hope, uncertainty and discovery, as the song builds from a gentle beginning to an absolute explosion of sounds. Simple synth pads layer underneath her breathy vocals as she describes herself waking up in the middle of the night in L.A and simply watching the rain out her window. As a strange feeling of destiny washes over her the song erupts into a chorus that is as catchy as it is powerful. Driving percussion leads layers of vocals and squealing guitars in a sea of reverb, and the song never lets up this immense feeling of triumph over anxiety.

It's probably a cop out but 'America' - and really, Aurelia's craft in general - is almost beyond description. It's one of those things, like going skydiving or trying Vegemite, that you have to experience for yourself to truly understand it. It's tough to craft a great pop song full of hooks and succinct songwriting, and it's even harder to craft a song that feels like a long journey in under five minutes. The fact Aurelia has managed to do both and absolutely nail it is a total marvel. She started off 2018 on a high note with 'Chest' and she's somehow managed to transcend that already. If she releases another song this year I think it might actually reveal to me the secrets of the universe - that's the only way I can imagine 'America' being topped.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

WORDS BY MAX LEWIS

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO

PREMIERE: AURELIA TRANSCENDS HER MELANCHOLIC INDIE-POP WITH ‘CHEST’

PREMIERE: AURELIA’S ‘ARE WE LOSING’ GETS A JAZZ MAKEOVER COURTESY OF SENSIBLE J

IVORI SOARS ON HER DEBUT SINGLE ‘BITTERSWEET’