If there is one song on Chin Up Buttercup that summarizes this fifth full-length album from Austra, it’s “The Hopefulness of Dawn.” The six-minute epic opens with a cavernous, echoing intro that plays up the ethereal quality of Katie Stelmanis’ voice. Then, at about two-and-a-half minutes into the song, the raver synths kick in, rising with her voice as a new rhythm overtakes the song. Stelmanis’ name-checks Ray of Light as an influence and, indeed, “The Hopefulness of Dawn” does play out like Austra’s twist on the title track from Madonna’s era-defining 1998 album in that it’s an ecstatic, almost spiritual, slice of dance music.
Chin Up Buttercup is the first album from Austra in five years and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Quite recently, I was thinking about who were the big artists at the L.A. clubs in the 2010s. Austra is definitely near the top of the list. “Beat and the Pulse” and “Spellwork” were goth club hits that I think pretty much all the local DJs played at some point. “Mayan Drums,” the collab with Gina X, was my favorite and a staple when I played vinyl nights. “Forgive Me” was another one of my own favorites, one that I probably played too many times at The Lash. But, no matter how I hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out how to work Austra into a set now. The songs are still good, but, particularly with “Beat and the Pulse” and “Spellwork,” the vibe was just off. If I closed my eyes, I could see first-wave influencers posing for selfies in their Stevie Nicks cosplay and I just can’t be responsible for bringing that back.
Fortunately, Stelmanis does more than simply update the Austra sound for the post-pandemic dystopia. She strikes and holds an incredibly tricky balancing act throughout the album’s ten tracks. This is 100% Austra’s pop album, with moments that will make you think of Madonna and Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga. Yet, the songs are still weird, driven by soaring, classically-trained vocals and sprinkled with nods to techno and Chicago house.
“Math Equation,” which is my favorite song on Chin Up Buttercup, is a good example of all the twists and turns happening on the album. It opens with a “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” pulse so strong that I half-anticipated Stelmanis to break out into a “la la la.” Instead, she laments, “You said I needed my own friends/So I found them/Then you fucked them.” Now that is an unexpected— and brutal— turn of events.
There’s a lot of heartache on Chin Up Buttercup, but it’s offset by a good amount of humor. You can catch that in the self-effacing title track, which revolves around one of those pep talks that we’ve all given ourselves at some point in life, and in Stelmanis’ delivery of “whoopsies” on “Think Twice.”
Chin Up Buttercup is an exceptionally thoughtful and clever tears-on-the-dance floor album, where songs about heartbreak and grooves to make you move collide in a way that are unabashedly pop, yet still cheeky and a little subversive. Play it loud and get the dance party started.
Get Chin Up Buttercup by Austra.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Keep Reading:
Fear is the Mind Killer: Inside the World of Optometry (Interview)
HAAi Contemplates the Future of Humans and Machines on HUMANiSE (Interview)
Breton Singer and Producer Quinquis Channels Mermaid Lore on eor