Austra : NPR

Austra's new album, Future Politics, comes out Jan. 20. Renata Raksha/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Renata Raksha/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Austra, 'Future Politics'

January 12, 2017 • Katie Stelmanis' music questions, confronts and uplifts without scaremongering or sugarcoating. In an age of doom and gloom, it's a radical approach.

Austra's new album, Olympia, comes out June 18. Norman Wong/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Norman Wong/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Austra, 'Olympia'

June 9, 2013 • The Canadian band's second album showcases Katie Stelmanis' massive voice and increasingly personal lyrics in style, keeping one foot in the conservatory even as both are occupied on the dance floor.

Austra, 'Olympia'

46:16

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Austra performs at KEXP. Brittney Bush Bollay/KEXP hide caption

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Brittney Bush Bollay/KEXP

Favorite Sessions

Austra: Commanding Darkness

KEXP

February 7, 2012 • The Toronto band masterfully mixes classical and electronic sounds to accompany its dark, riveting vocals.

Austra plays the Orange Peel at Moogfest on Friday, October 28, 2011.

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Moogfest

Austra In Concert: Moogfest 2011

October 29, 2011 • Hear the dark new-wave band in a full concert, recorded live at Moogfest in Asheville, N.C.

Austra In Concert: Moogfest 2011

Audio for this performance is no longer available at the label's request.

Sari and Romy Lightman of the bands Tasseomancy and Austra. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

First Watch: Tasseomancy, 'Heavy Sleep'

June 30, 2011 • Sari and Romy Lightman, the twin sisters and singers who backup the broody electro-pop group Austra, will release their own album late this summer under the name Tasseomancy. See a spooky new video for the song "Heavy Sleep."

Austra's full-length debut, Feel It Break, comes out May 17. Hannah Myall/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Hannah Myall/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Austra, 'Feel It Break'

May 8, 2011 • Austra is a Toronto-based trio that makes throbbing, beat-heavy synth-pop that's both unsettling and alluring. Hear the group's dark but danceable new album in its entirety, a week before its official release.

Clockwise from top left: Austra, Cheyenne Marie Mize, Mount Kimbie and Holger. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

All Songs Considered

Discoveries At SXSW 2011

March 24, 2011 • This week on All Songs Considered, Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson reflect on their best on-the-ground discoveries at South by Southwest this year.

Discoveries At SXSW 2011

38:35

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Watch: Austra Performs A Tiny SXSW Concert

Austra performed live at a room in The Driskill Hotel during SXSW 2011 in Austin, Texas. Katie Hayes Luke/NPR hide caption

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Katie Hayes Luke/NPR

All Songs Considered

Watch: Austra Performs A Tiny SXSW Concert

March 22, 2011 • The Toronto trio brought its clubby electronic sound to our room at The Driskill Hotel in a personal set, recorded during SXSW 2011 in Austin, Texas.

Audio Only: Austra's Tiny SXSW Concert

4:10

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