Music
AURUS Presents a New Song Called “KUHU”
AURUS is a modern mirage. The embodiment of our contradictions.
After the transgressive polyphony of the 3somesisters, AURUS aka Bastien Picot distils Maloya from its roots in an orchestral and percussive pop setting, reminiscent of Nakhane, Peter Gabriel, or Woodkid. After notable performances at MaMa, SAKIFO, Bars en Trans and Francofolies de la Réunion, AURUS becomes Revelation Artist of the Chantier des Francofolies for the year 2021 and Coup de cœur of the Confédération desFrancofolies. His first album Chimera, is a chimera, a hybrid album. Conceived between Paris and Réunion, this opus is an intuitive and tribal journey in which what seems irreconcilable meets and merges: the melancholy atmosphere and the tribal or sometimes military rhythms, the lunar ballads, and the tonic light of the pieces inviting to trance, all of this. spoken in English and Reunion Creole.
At the origin of this album but also of the pseudonym of the artist: the eye of Horus, an Egyptian divinity half-man, half-hawk, symbol of intuition and spiritual antenna allowing to see beyond the palpable.
After the musical adventure of the 3somesisters of which Bastien Picot was one of the founders, AURUS was born as an almost dizzying power to return to oneself following an intense and hectic collective adventure, a deep questioning on its relationship to the world, to the other, to the society. It was in the twists and turns of her own melancholy and her luminous hopes that Chimera was born, like a vertical thread woven from its roots to the heavens.
AURUS has a keen eye on the society in which we live. He questions our relationship to animals (in a duet with Sandra Nkaké), to time, to the mental load or even the distortion of our perception of the world created by the screens that surround us … Chimera is akin to a hypnotic vigil, del dawn at dusk, where madness sometimes comes to tickle the heady riffs and vocalizations of this polymorphic singer.
Creole returned naturally to insinuate itself into the music, just like the traditional instruments of Reunion Island, the Maloya, but also the English-speaking pop which watered his childhood to reconnect with the forgotten teenager and his “American dream”, to the traveler-backpacker and his thirst for adventure, to the vacationer in need of rest or even to the entrepreneur and his myriad of ideas. Musically, it was Anthony Winzenrieth, producer of the 3SOMESISTERS EPs, who was the essential partner in the birth of this album.
After helping AURUS to clarify his vision, he mixed and produced this album by sublimating this chimera inspired by The Knife, Woodkid, Peter Gabriel, Tune-Yards, James Blake, or even Ry X …
Album Review
Block turns heartbreak into light on “Love Crash,” a raw journey through survival
Block’s sixth studio album, “Love Crash,” is a 10-track rock record that takes a human, quietly hopeful approach to heartbreak. Illuminated by openness, humor, and a surprising sense of joy, the album is a 32-minute, 45-second journey through grief, reflection, and emotional recovery.
With the first track, “I Thought I Won The War,” Block sets a tone of emotional ambiguity where wins are dubious, and wars within are still raging. “California Calls” wants to be far away, wants to go away, but memory tugs the other way. “Over And Over” is about cycles of emotion that keep repeating, even when you want to move on. “Firefly” offers a softer light, pointing to fragile hope in emotional weight.
“All In My Head” explores the inner turmoil of the mind, which is louder than the world outside. “Song To Jamie” feels like a letter written from regret and memory. “The Heartbreak Song” is a total embrace of emotional collapse, but it’s structured and honest. “Carly Says” is about the voices outside that inform the decisions inside. “No One Ever Taught Me How” emphasizes the lack of emotional experience and difficulty in dealing with emotions. “Still Life” ends on a quiet note of pause, as if everything has been dealt with but not forgotten.
The album was written from a dark place, and each song was a step to emotional healing. Produced by Chris Kuffner, with final mixing and mastering by ECR President Blake Morgan, “Love Crash” is a patchwork of imperfect moments, sewn together with honesty, of an artist processing pain while still reaching for the light.
Photo Credit: Dave Doobinin
Artist Spotlight
seeTrees embrace renewal and reflection on “Easy Times”
seeTrees are back with “Easy Times,” a meditative Americana-rock tune that’s like sunlight breaking through after a long storm. It’s based on the emotional reality of sticking with something and making amends, and it exploits the idea that relationships can survive a storm if you choose to recall what you initially fell in love with.
The song pulls from classic and modern Americana touchstones, reminiscent of the warm storytelling of artists like Wilco and Tom Petty, while carrying the atmospheric pull of artists like The War on Drugs and Ryan Adams. seeTrees’ vocals combine a lifelike, relatable texture with conviction. Their performances conveys clear emotions through an open, accepting view, which allows the newfound resilience in their lyrics to land naturally.
“Easy Times” captures a rare moment after a struggle has ended, when relief slowly replaces tension and possibility feels real again. seeTrees offers a song that is both personal and universal, one that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to rebuild something meaningful. “Easy Times” sees seesTrees as storytellers with a heart for emotion, a band whose sound is looking both backward and forward.
Photo Credit: Anthony Bradley
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