If you expected to go into heartcore as a simple album experience, you would be delightfully wrong – this is more than just an album, this is a fully-fledged tale of fantasy, intrigue, adventure, and self-discovery through Au/Ra‘s self-based character, a story told through genre experimentation that feels like a transcendent bridge between poppy and Olivia Rodrigo, with a powerful voice that veers from dream-like to edgy.
I built a world where through my character Au/Ra, I explore the ups and downs of mental health, my childhood, recovering from rock bottom and how I healed from putting all my self-worth into being an artist.
Having taken a sudden involuntary, but much-needed, break from the music industry, Au/Ra first dealt with the sense of losing her identity as an artist and coming to terms with past trauma. heartcore tells of her internal exploration through the conceptual lens of a being on a journey of healing, the self-insert a way of making the character relatable to the listener.
Much like any archetypical story, heartache is told in 3 parts, starting with ‘THE DESCENT’ and its synth-wave intro, Au/Ra singing “where the story arc begins” as a rapid-fire beat gradually builds in, electro-metal elements seeping through before they hit more decisively on ‘CRACK!’ and its industrial hooks and beats weaving between dance-pop licks as Au/Ra agonises over who she used to be and how her mind feels stuck in stasis. ‘this is character building’ takes on a cinematic feel that would serve as a backdrop to an epic anime or graphic novel scene, the industrial-wave sharing the space with dramatic vocals. ‘[portal]’ is an instrumental piece that closes out the beginning of the narrative, part one focusing on the lowest point of mental health before carrying us through to the second part.
‘high fantasy’ is where the character of Au/Ra begins to flesh out as a protagonist, her voice reaching soaring, ethereal levels over alt-rock riffs, before fading out to ‘last heart </3’ and its raw vulnerability as Au/Ra sings of having “swords in my heart” and that she’s down to her “last heart”, an upbeat pop track building in power behind her as she comes to terms with her scars and begins the journey to heal. ‘SWAMP’ breaks through with video game theme sounds, evoking a nostalgic, retro feel as the lyrics accept her ‘altness’ and feel unapologetic as she understands she can do what she wants to feel happy, the album taking a sudden turn with ‘Lo/Re’ and its slightly darker vibes as the alt-rock elements flit through the dance track, the lyrics almost breaking the fourth wall as Au/Ra sings of her emotions taking the form of fictional characters and finding catharsis through them but wanting to “turn the fiction into something more”. ‘KILLSWITCH’ is the sudden realisation of the power she wields, a theatrical feel to the rhythms and shifting vocals that build to an industrial breakdown that isn’t quite explosive but hints that she’s close to unleashing her true power. ‘the apology’ steps completely away from its predecessor in its dance synth beats, shaping the track into a true pop bop amongst the edgy industrial-rock, the lyrics becoming desperate once again as her emotions fluctuate and she seems to apologise to an unseen entity as well as herself. Part of her journey is the acceptance of “artificial warmth”, interpretative as either when someone says they’ll be there for you but you either just can’t bear or feel their support or their support is merely superficial and only you can pull yourself out of this hollow cavern of depression, played out over a simplistic beat and high-pitched, muffled synths that punch through for the choruses.
While there isn’t so much a clear cut between parts two and three of the story, ‘dear death’ seems to have a foot in both parts, piano keys gradually joined by cosmic-sounding synths and gossamer vocals as Au/Ra accepts the form her demise will take, offering to take Death’s hand in a welcoming gesture. Inspired by her “favourite” Studio Ghibli film, ‘princess mononoke’ features a backdrop of heavy riffs and sharp drums over vocal layers that harmonise into a heavenly choir to an unhurried pace, fading into the tape-rewind sound of ‘rewire’ and Au/Ra’s softly sung lyrics that almost feel she’s trying to break through a dream to speak to you as layered voices and industrial synths and beats rise around her, never quite settling into one genre or vibe. ‘E-MOTION’ is undoubtedly the moment Au/Ra’s character really comes into her own and stands upon the precipice of her new world, alt-rock instrumentals driving the track forward as the intensity builds. Title track ‘heartcore’ closes out this passionate, cinematic album, a final message from Au/Ra directly to the listeners of the hardships she’s overcome and the pain endured, but how she would “do it all again for the heartcore”. The lyrics have reached cathartic release and closure, as she sees “the beauty in the ruins” and the understanding that she had to weather the storm to come out the other side bolder, brighter, and more certain of who she is than ever before.
Catch Au/Ra live at
– All Points East, 30th August, Victoria Park London
– Baby’s All Right, 2nd December, New York
– The Roxy Theatre, 4th December, Los Angeles
Follow Au/Ra for more info at au/ra | youtube | soundcloud | instagram | tiktok | discord | twitch