Illustration by Isabelle Kori
Aurora Aksnes, known mononymously as AURORA, has just released her third studio album The Gods We Can Touch. As a huge fan of Aurora’s work, I feel compelled to share my thoughts on the new release, partly due to the amount of anticipation I felt leading up to it, and partly due to the initial surprise I had after my first complete listen of the album.
Going into it, I knew the concept around which Aurora created this album: the idea that everybody is flawed, even gods. In the Enhanced Album on Spotify, she talks about how those we believe in and have faith in, whether in a religious or nonreligious sense, are admired in an almost negative way, so as to seem “untouchable” and detached from reality. I think this rings true relating to Aurora and her fanbase; Aurora’s fans often perceive her as a flawless person who can do no wrong. Of course, there is a difference between thinking somebody is extremely talented, like Aurora is, and thinking of them as flawless in every aspect of life. This album seems at least partly inspired by the way that Aurora is perceived, and she makes clear that she is a human being, with very real flaws and emotions, just like you and I.
Lyrically, I think this idea is very clear in the song Giving In To The Love. Aurora sings “I want to live my life and all of its pages / and underline that I am not an angel,” which I think is a strong plea for freedom — she wants to live every part of her life without having to live up to such high expectations that people around her have. The following song, Cure For Me, follows a similar theme. Aurora sings of how, although she may be different, she doesn’t need to be fixed or cured by those seeking to put her in a box. This song is particularly aimed towards the LGBTQ+ community, as Aurora wrote the song thinking about conversion therapy in particular. The chorus “I don’t need a cure for me” is a universal chant of self-acceptance, while the verses are slightly more targeted, with lines like “I don’t like the tension, the misapprehensions / about our own nature in love” making Aurora’s intended message clear. The fact that such a beautiful message is captured in a catchy, upbeat pop song, is perfect in ensuring it reaches a wide audience; the song has already gone viral, especially on TikTok.
The first previously unreleased song of the album is You Keep Me Crawling, and I absolutely love listening to it. Aurora conveys such intensity and power in her vocals, while also showing vulnerability and softer moments. The song at first appears to show Aurora questioning a relationship, as she feels weak but also tied to this person, as if she has to serve them. However, with the album concept in mind, I think this song describes a relationship with religion rather than a romantic one. It is unclear whether Aurora’s own relationship with religion, her outside perception of it, or something purely hypothetical is in question; however, I think this interpretation of the song is much more interesting.
One of the most striking aspects of this album is its sound. I may be a little biased, but I love the typical sound that Aurora goes for with her music – and The Gods We Can Touch is quite different from that. Though I should say that this album has much more variety than her previous works, which is definitely something new listeners will appreciate. Usually I prefer Aurora’s more emotional ballads, particularly her vocals, however, in this album she manages to combine these vocals with some extremely catchy melodies… and they have been stuck in my head ever since I heard them. A Temporary High in particular just does not sound like something I would associate with Aurora: it has elements of synthpop, and feels loosely influenced by 80s pop. But I’m glad to see Aurora expanding her discography. This is the kind of song I can happily dance to, despite the somewhat downbeat lyrics of somebody chasing after an elusive, mysterious persona who may not be good for them in the long run.
I think my favourite of these upbeat songs, and maybe even my favourite song of the entire album, is Blood In The Wine. While Aurora’s instrumentation and themes remain very strong throughout The Gods We Can Touch, I think one thing that does slightly suffer is her song-writing. Some of my all-time favourite Aurora songs are the most lyrically and conceptually complex ones, with many layers and metaphors. However, in this album, it feels like some of the songs either have very beautifully constructed lyrics or a very catchy beat with more simple lyrics — there isn’t much middle ground.
Blood In The Wine is definitely the middle ground that the album needs. It sings of the relationship between humanity and faith, and how we should embrace our human impulses and desires even if they are stigmatised, or perceived as shameful. The line “the flesh in the fruit, and the blood in the wine” sums this idea up nicely; it shows the power that authority figures have over what we love and desire, what we need to survive. Aurora is, in a way, inviting us to feast and express our full selves by alluding not only to food and drink, but to sex and power.
Through listening to this album many, many times, I have fallen in love with Aurora’s music once again. She somehow always manages to choose singles that end up being some of my least favourite songs on the album, so I am glad that the complete work of The Gods We Can Touch is something I thoroughly enjoy. One single in particular that I want to mention is the album’s only collaboration, Everything Matters, featuring the French artist Pomme. I am also a fan of Pomme’s music, so I was extremely looking forward to this single. It was not what I was expecting at all, in both a positive and negative sense. I love the very mysterious, almost eerie atmosphere that the song captures, and the lyrics are really beautiful. I suppose if I view this as just a regular song, with no preconceptions, it wouldn’t receive much criticism from me. However, the one thing that really gets me about this song, and probably the only thing I would change about this album, is the way this song is structured. Pomme and Aurora’s vocal parts feel very disjointed, and I wanted Pomme to have a bigger part in the song. Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking, because Pomme is only supposed to be a feature artist, but I think there could have been something much bigger.
On the whole, The Gods We Can Touch is no disappointment. It’s a great starting point for people who want to listen to Aurora for the first time, but also an amazing album for longtime fans, like myself. If the concept of the album is something that you find appealing, I’d recommend the songs: Giving Into The Love, Heathens, Artemis, and Blood In The Wine. If you prefer softer songs, especially ones that show a beautifully tender side to Aurora’s artistry, then Exist for Love, This Could Be A Dream, and A Little Place Called The Moon are for you. Alternatively, you could listen to the album in its entirety (go on, you know you want to…)!