What Happened to the Heart?

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What Happened to the Heart?
Studio album by
Aurora
Released7 June 2024 (2024-06-07)
Length62:01
Label
Producer
Aurora chronology
The Gods We Can Touch
(2022) 		What Happened to the Heart?
(2024)
Singles from What Happened to the Heart?
  1. "Your Blood"
    Released: 8 November 2023
  2. "The Conflict of the Mind"
    Released: 18 January 2024
  3. "Some Type of Skin"
    Released: 20 March 2024
  4. "Starvation"
    Released: 7 June 2024

What Happened to the Heart? is the fifth studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Aurora. It was released on 7 June 2024 through Decca, Glassnote and Petroleum Records. Written and recorded between Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Aurora worked with Ane Brun, Matias Tellez, Tom Rowlands, Chris Greatti, Dave Hamelin, and Magnus Skylstad on its production.

Aurora began working on What Happened to the Heart? during a world tour in support of her previous release, The Gods We Can Touch, and conceived the album as a cathartic process. It was preceded by the release of three singles, "Your Blood", "The Conflict of the Mind", and "Some Type of Skin", as well as the promotional single "To Be Alright". "Starvation" followed as the fourth single, released in parallel. To promote the album, Aurora will embark on a European and American headlining concert tour in 2024 and 2025.

Background and conception

In April 2022, Aurora read a letter co-written by indigenous activists titled "We Are the Earth", which, according to the magazine The Line of Best Fit, "changed her life".[1] The letter called for a revolution: a collective response to global warming. They described the planet as "the heart that pulsates within us", a statement that led Aurora to create the album's title and concept. She began writing the album while on tour for The Gods We Can Touch, her previous album released on 21 January 2022.[1] In January 2023, Aurora confirmed that she was back in the recording studio working on new music, which she called "so many babies".[2]

What Happened to the Heart? was announced via her social media accounts on 28 March 2024.[3] She has dubbed the album as her most personal and cathartic project in her career.[4] In a press release, she added: "Though its precise function and anatomy were not clearly understood, the heart was believed to be the centre of the soul. Of intuition. Of emotion and intention. Until we decided these were qualifications of the mind. Emotion overpowered by logic. And with the world being so corrupted by money, power and selfishness you cannot help but ask yourself – what happened to the heart?".[5] Being interviewed by NME, the singer said that the title of the album is "the most important, beautiful and sad question I've ever wondered in my life".[6]

Recording and production

What Happened to the Heart? was recorded and produced between Norway, Germany, London, and Los Angeles. On the album, Aurora worked with her close collaborator Magnus Skylstad, along with musicians Ane Brun, Matias Tellez, Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, Chris Greatti, and Dave Hamelin.[7]

Composition

Containing 16 tracks,[8] What Happened to the Heart? differs from the sound of the singles, as stated by Aurora prior to the album's release.[6] Its overall lyrics talk about the constant loss of spiritual connection in modern life,[9] and question the lack of humanity in the society.[10] It also contains another themes such as climate change, capitalism, and personal problems.[11] The album sound includes inspirations from pop music, techno, and folk.[11]

The opening track, "Echo of My Shadow", begins the album similarily to a prayer, where Aurora "sings life and hope back into the world".[10] It is led by subdued vocals and strings.[12] "To Be Alright", the second track, was compared by DIY's Otis Robinson to the works of English singer Kate Bush.[13] It is a disco-pop track with a 1990s dance tempo, in which she switches between soprano and a soft baritone.[10] The third track, "Your Blood", is an "antithetical happy-go-lucky" indie pop song with electric guitars and melodies reminiscent of the Swedish rock band the Cardigans.[13][14][10] The track showcases Aurora's vocal range, also switching between pitches.[10] On "The Conflict of the Mind", Aurora pleads with a lover to open up.[13] The folkloric "Some Type of Skin"[15] is primarily a synth-pop,[16] alternative pop,[17] and Europop song,[14] with elements of electropop.[17] "When The Dark Dresses Lightly" is a look after a break-up fueled with anguish, rage and resentment.[13] "My Name" features Norwegian songwriter Ane Brun, and contains tireness of "unhealed trauma and collective ignorance to environmental overconsumption".[13] The folk-infused "Do You Feel?"[14] is followed by "Starvation", which incorporates disco and 1980s synth-pop, with elements of electronica music[13] and psychedelic beats[10]; in the song, she confronts human arrogance and avoidance.[13]

Promotion

Singles

What Happened to the Heart? was preceded by the release of three singles. The song "Your Blood" was released on 8 November 2023 as the lead single from the album.[18] It marked her first solo musical material since The Gods We Can Touch in 2022.[19] The second single, titled "The Conflict of the Mind", was released on 18 January 2024 along a music video co-directed by Aurora alongside Kaveh Nabatian from The Barr Brothers.[20] "Some Type of Skin" was released as the third single from the record on 20 March 2024. She performed it for the first time during an intimate show at London's Lafayette.[17] The first promotional single, "To Be Alright", was released digitally on 31 May.[21] "Starvation" was sent to radio airplay alongside the album as its fourth single.[22]

Tour

To promote What Happened to the Heart?, Aurora will embark on her sixth concert tour, titled What Happened to the Earth?, between 2024 and 2025. It was announced alongside the album on 28 March 2024.[7] The first leg contains dates in European cities including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.[7] General sale for the leg started on 5 April 2024; people who pre-ordered the album received an exclusive ticket pre-sale link for two days in advance.[23][24] The second announced part of the tour, with dates throughout North America, was revealed on Aurora's social media accounts and official website on 14 May 2024.[25] What Happpened to the Earth? Part 3 South American dates were announced on 27 May.[26] The last leg announced of the tour will also pass through Europe in 2025;[27] general tickets will go on sale on 12 June 2024.[28]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[29]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[13]
Hot Press8/10[9]
NME[14]
Riff Magazine8/10[10]
Slant Magazine[30]
Stereoboard[12]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[31]
The Telegraph[11]

Upon its release, What Happened to the Heart? was met with critical acclaim. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, What Happened to the Heart? received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[29]

Lauren Shirreff from The Telegraph wrote that "reckoning with self-destructive feelings of fear, dissociation, and anger, the album is a journey to personal healing", and highlighted the last track, "Invisible Wounds", as a standout."[11] NME critic Andrew Trendell opined that the album is an "epic career-high, throwing up shapes along with reasons to live and to love".[14] For Hot Press, Caroline Kelly wrote that it represents Aurora's "definitive attempt to craft an ecosystem around her work", and described it as "an offering of rhetorical questions and resounding affirmations, with a sweeping sonic palette".[9]

While praising "Earthly Delights" and "When the Dark Presses Lightly", Stereoboard's Will Marshall wrote that What Happened to the Heart? offers "another slate of intense musical arrangements, theatrical vocals and radio-ready hits with her own unique twist".[12] Otis Robinson of DIY ended his review by saying: "Monolithic in nature, the world-building on What Happened to the Heart? makes a bleeding heart – both for self and the earth – appear rapturous and unfathomably healing".[13]

Commercial performance

On its release day, What Happened to the Heart? received 1.7 million streams on Spotify globally, becoming her second biggest debut ever on the platform and the biggest debut for a Norwegian album in 2024.

The album debuted at number five on the Norwegian VG-lista Topp 40 Album with first-week sales of 4,000 units, earning her fourth top 5 album.[32] It marked Aurora's biggest opening week in sales in the country since Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1). In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart with 5,000 album-equivalent units, earning her second top 10 and being her biggest opening week in the region surpassing her fourth studio album, The Gods We Can Touch.[33]

Track listing

What Happened to the Heart track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Echo of My Shadow"
4:05
2."To Be Alright"
  • Aksnes
  • Tellez
  • Aurora
  • Tellez
4:06
3."Your Blood"
  • Aksnes
  • Chris Greatti
  • Aurora
  • Greatti
4:07
4."The Conflict of the Mind"
  • Aksnes
  • Greatti
  • Aurora
  • Greatti
4:15
5."Some Type of Skin"
  • Aksnes
  • Greatti
  • Aurora
  • Greatti
3:11
6."The Essence"
  • Aurora
  • Rebscher
3:10
7."Earthly Delights"
  • Aksnes
  • Tellez
  • Aurora
  • Tellez
3:21
8."When The Dark Dresses Lightly"
  • Aksnes
  • Rebscher
  • Leonard
  • Aurora
  • Rebscher
3:35
9."A Soul with No King"
  • Aksnes
  • Fredrik Svabø
  • Aurora
  • Svabø
4:24
10."Dreams"Aksnes
  • Aurora
  • Vetle Junker
4:24
11."My Name" (featuring Ane Brun)
3:20
12."Do You Feel?"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
3:02
13."Starvation"
  • Aksnes
  • Rebscher
  • Leonard
  • Aurora
  • Rebscher
3:28
14."The Blade"
  • Aksnes
  • Rebscher
  • Leonard
4:33
15."My Body Is Not Mine"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
  • Rowlands
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
4:01
16."Invisible Wounds"
  • Aksnes
  • Tellez
  • Aurora
  • Tellez
4:59
Total length:62:01

Personnel

Musicians

  • Aurora – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 1–5, 7, 16), percussion (4, 8, 9, 13, 14); Mellotron, Mellotron programming (4); piano (5, 9), keyboards (8, 13, 14); synthesizer, drums (11, 12, 15)
  • Matias Tellez – guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, programming (tracks 1, 2, 7, 16)
  • Adam Schoeller – drum programming (track 3)
  • Asher Bank – drums (track 3)
  • Chris Greatti – bass, Juno-106 programming (tracks 3–5); guitar (3, 4), percussion (3), drum programming (4), EBow guitar (5)
  • Liam Hall – Juno-106 (track 3)
  • Kieran Brunt – vocal ensemble conductor (tracks 5, 10, 16)
  • Shards – vocal ensemble (tracks 5, 10, 16)
  • Kane Richotte – drums (track 5)
  • Michelle Leonard – backing vocals (tracks 6, 8, 13, 14), keyboards (8), synthesizer programming (13), synthesizer (14)
  • Nicolas Rebscher – guitar (tracks 6, 8, 13, 14); bass, drum programming, keyboards, percussion (8, 13)
  • Steve Durham – drums (tracks 8, 14)
  • Håkon Aase – fiddle (tracks 9, 11, 12)
  • Vetle Junker – vocals, guitar, drums, programming (track 10)
  • Magnus Skylstad – bass, synthesizer, drums, percussion (tracks 11, 12, 15)
  • Runyu Qian – pipa (track 11)
  • Ane Brun – vocals (track 11)
  • Fredrik Svabø – bass (track 12)
  • Dave Hamelin – keyboards, percussion, drum programming (track 14)
  • Tom Rowlands – synthesizer, drums, drum programming (track 15)

Technical

  • Alex Wharton – mastering
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing
  • Chris Greatti – recording (tracks 3–5, 13)
  • Nicolas Rebscher – recording (tracks 6, 8, 13, 14)
  • Fredrik Svabø – recording (track 9)
  • Vetle Junker – recording (track 10)
  • Magnus Skylstad – recording (tracks 11, 12, 15)
  • George Chung – drum recording (tracks 8, 14)
  • Kieran Brunt – vocal ensemble recording, vocal ensemble arrangement (tracks 5, 10, 16)
  • Sam Okell – vocal ensemble recording (track 10)
  • Matias Tellez – recording arrangement (tracks 1, 2, 7, 16)
  • Andreas Høvset – recording assistance (tracks 1, 2, 7, 16)

Visuals

  • Yuck – cover art, design
  • Trent van der Werf – additional design
  • Wanda Martin – photography

Charts

Chart performance for What Happened to the Heart?
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] 10
Irish Albums (OCC)[36] 50
Italian Albums (FIMI)[37] 96
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 4
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 8

Release history

Release dates and formats for What Happened to the Heart?
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 7 June 2024
[41]

References

  1. ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (28 March 2024). "AURORA announces fourth studio album, What Happened To The Heart?". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ^ Ng, Scott (6 January 2023). "AURORA is back in the studio working on "so many babies"". NME. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Aurora to release new album What Happened To The Heart? in June". Live 4 Ever. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  4. ^ Taylor, Sam (28 March 2024). "Aurora has announced her fourth studio album and a European headline tour". Dork. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ Murray, Robin (28 March 2024). "AURORA Confirms New Album 'What Happened To The Heart?'". Clash. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (29 March 2024). "AURORA talks 'What Happened To The Heart?': "Apathy is the biggest enemy to progress"". NME. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Dunworth, Liberty (28 March 2024). "AURORA announces new album 'What Happened To The Heart' and announces UK and European tour". NME. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  8. ^ Sharpe, Josh (10 June 2024). "Aurora Shares New Album 'What Happened To The Heart?'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Kelly, Caroline (10 June 2024). "Album Review: Aurora, What Happened To The Heart?". Hot Press. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Mnisi, Dumisani (1 June 2024). "Album Review: Aurora continues her fight on 'What Happened to the Heart?'". Riff Magazine. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Shirreff, Lauren (7 June 2024). "Aurora has a message for global leaders". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Marshall, Will (11 June 2024). "Aurora - What Happened To The Heart? (Album Review)". Stereoboard. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Robinson, Otis (7 June 2024). "Aurora – What Happened to the Heart?". DIY. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e Trendell, Andrew (10 June 2024). "Aurora – 'What Happened To The Heart?' review: a heavy, ravey call for humanity". NME. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  15. ^ Murray, Robin (28 March 2024). "AURORA Confirms New Album 'What Happened To The Heart?'". Clash. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ^ Schube, Will (21 March 2024). "AURORA Unveils New Synth-Pop Single "Some Type of Skin"". Flood Magazine. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Dunworth, Liberty (21 March 2024). ""Being human is really delicious" – AURORA calls for peace on huge new single 'Some Type Of Skin'". NME. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  18. ^ Taylor, Sam (8 November 2023). "Aurora has released a new single, 'Your Blood': "The world is always bleeding"". Dork. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  19. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (8 November 2023). "AURORA returns with full force on new single, "Your Blood"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  20. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (19 January 2024). "Aurora returns with "The Conflict of The Mind"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  21. ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (31 May 2024). "Aurora: "We are ruining so much of what is special about us"". Dork. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  22. ^ Leva, Raffaella (6 June 2024). "Aurora - Starvation (Radio Date: 07-06-2024)". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  23. ^ Johnson, Laura (28 March 2024). "Aurora Announces New Album 'What Happened To The Heart?', Confirms UK And European Tour". Stereoboard. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  24. ^ Johnson, Laura (5 April 2024). "Aurora Tickets For UK And European What Happened To The Earth? Part 1 Tour On Sale 10am Today". Stereoboard. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  25. ^ Aurora [@AURORAmusic] (14 May 2024). "'What Happened To The Earth?' Part 2!🌍I'm so excited to be exploring even more beautiful cities" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Pérez Sánchez, Fernanda (1 June 2024). "Aurora regresa a México: Fechas, boletos y precios de los conciertos". Vogue. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  27. ^ Johnson, Laura (6 June 2024). "Aurora Confirms OVO Arena Wembley Show As Part Of What Happened To The Earth? Part 5 European Tour". Stereoboard. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  28. ^ Skinner, Tom (6 June 2024). "Aurora announces Wembley Arena gig as part of new 2025 European tour". NME. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  29. ^ a b "What Happened to the Heart? by Aurora Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  30. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (11 June 2024). "Aurora What Happened to the Heart? Review: The Big, Beating Heart in the Machine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  31. ^ Khuttapan, Tanatat (6 June 2024). "Aurora heads for the disco on What Happened To The Heart?". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Album 2024 uke 24". VG-lista. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Aurora %5BNO%5D – What Happened to the Heart?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Aurora – What Happened to the Heart?" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  36. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  37. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 24 (dal 07.06.2024 al 13.06.2024)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  38. ^ "Album 2024 uke 24". VG-lista. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  41. ^ Citations concerning What Happened to the Heart? release formats:
    1. "What Happened to the Heart? CD". Aurora. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
    2. "What Happened to the Heart? 2LP". Aurora. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
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