Live Review: PREMIERE: Aurelia transcends her melancholic indie-pop with 'Chest'

It took one song - a demo no less- for AURELIA to make a name for herself as a powerful singer-songwriter; having just dropped her sophomore single 'Chest' we can only expect that 2018 will be a monumental year for her.

Cutting her teeth co-writing with other artists, Aurelia launched her solo effort with 'Are We Losing', introducing the world to her ethereal, smoky pop. With some seasoned session musicians (such as long time collaborator Thrones) behind the scenes, 'Chest' was recorded in Los Angeles and fully realises the hints of her vision we were given with her debut.

While you could definitely make some comparisons to Lana Del Rey, Aurelia takes that dreamy, nostalgic sound and makes something truly her own. With layers of raspy whispers and breathy croons, her vocals remain perfectly restrained, floating above the sea of instruments just enough to be heard but without dominating the mix. Additional organ, guitar and bass (with what sounds like some synthetic brass) creates a sort of wall of sound that is super cosy and warm.

I'm a little biased because I'm a sucker for random orchestral elements in songs, but the moment when the strings float in during the last quarter is truly stunning; it remain longs enough for you to luxuriate in the mix but is short enough to not lose its punch. That's sort of the song in a nutshell - Aurelia remarkable restraint on 'Chest' makes moments like that so much more effective.

With the power of a studio Aurelia has truly put her skills to work, transcending the melancholic pop of her debut and creating a track truly special. 'Chest' is a song of many complex layers somehow turned into a minimal, dreamy soundscape that gives plenty of room for the listener to get lost.  It's hard to imagine how she'll top herself next but I know I'm not alone in saying I can't wait for what Aurelia has in store.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

WORDS BY MAX LEWIS

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO

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

SAMSARUH IS ETHEREAL AND CAPTIVATING ON ‘BEAUTIFUL KILLER’

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