A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)

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A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
Aurora - A Different Kind of Human (Step II).png
Studio album by
Aurora
Released7 June 2019 (2019-06-07)
Genre
Length40:04
Label
Producer
Aurora chronology
Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)
(2018) 		A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
(2019)
Singles from A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
  1. "Animal"
    Released: 24 January 2019
  2. "The Seed"
    Released: 5 April 2019
  3. "The River"
    Released: 10 May 2019
  4. "Apple Tree"
    Released: 26 September 2019
  5. "Daydreamer"
    Released: 1 November 2019

A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) is the second studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Aurora. It was released on 7 June 2019 through Decca Records and Glassnote Records.[1][2][3] It succeeds the album's first and previous chapter Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), which was released in September 2018. It has been categorized to be an art pop,[4] electropop,[5] and pop[6] concept album, tackling themes of ecological crisis that "aim at society's self-centred capitalistic apathy."[7]

Background[]

On the same day of the release of Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), Aurora confirmed in an interview with NME that Step 2 would be released either in 2019 or 2020.[8] Months later, Aurora posted a photo which seems to be an alien invasion with a text that said "Something is coming in 2019" in Morse code, which hinted that Step 2 would be set to be released in 2019.[9]

On 24 December 2018, Aurora announced in an interview for Bergen Tindende that Step 2 is coming faster than expected, most likely because she and Magnus Skylstad had been in the studio for a very long time.[10]

The album's first single, "Animal", was released on 24 January 2019.

On 18 February 2019, Aurora announced that the title would not be under the assumed title of Infections of a Different Kind (Step 2), and it would have a different name. "It's kind of what I would hope for the music to do to us", Aurora said about Step 2's title.[11]

On 12 March 2019, in an interview on B-Sides On-Air, Aurora confirmed Step 2 has already been recorded since November 2018.[12] Then in the end of March, "The Seed" was confirmed to be the second single from the project.[13] Following the announcement, the album title and track list were revealed on 4 April 2019.

On 10 May 2019, the song "The River" was released as the album's third single. It was followed by the promotional single "A Different Kind of Human", released on 31 May 2019.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[14]
Metacritic77/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[15]
musicOMH4/5 stars[17]
The Guardian4/5 stars[5]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[18]
NME4/5 stars[19]
Clash7/10[6]
The Independent3/5 stars[7]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream publications, A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) received an average score of 77, based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Track listing[]

A Different Kind of Human (Step II) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The River"
3:37
2."Animal"
3:35
3."Dance on the Moon"
3:36
4."Daydreamer"
3:39
5."Hunger"
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
2:46
6."Soulless Creatures"
  • Aksnes
  • Timothy Bran
  • Roy Kerr
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
5:02
7."In Bottles"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
3:58
8."A Different Kind of Human"Aksnes
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
  • Skylstad[b]
4:01
9."Apple Tree"
  • Aksnes
  • Skalnes
  • Skylstad
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
  • Odd Martin[a]
3:08
10."The Seed"
4:26
11."Mothership"
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
2:16
Total length:40:04
Infections of a Different Kind of Human digital download track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Queendom"
3:27
2."Forgotten Love"
3:28
3."Gentle Earthquakes"
  • Aksnes
  • Bevan
  • Jacob
  • Sheibani
  • MyRiot
  • Solstrand
3:47
4."All Is Soft Inside"
  • Aksnes
  • Timothy Bran
  • Roy Kerr
  • MyRiot
  • Solstrand[b]
5:09
5."It Happened Quiet"
  • MyRiot
  • Solstrand
  • Skylstad[b]
4:09
6."Churchyard"
3:46
7."Soft Universe"
  • Aksnes
  • Bevan
  • Jacob
  • Sheibani
  • Jakwob
  • Couros
  • Aurora[b]
  • Skylstad[b]
4:00
8."Infections of a Different Kind"Aksnes
  • MyRiot
  • Solstrand
5:27
9."The River"
3:37
10."Animal"
3:35
11."Dance on the Moon"
3:36
12."Daydreamer"
3:39
13."Hunger"
  • Aksnes
  • Bevan
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
2:46
14."Soulless Creatures"
  • Aksnes
  • Bran
  • Kerr
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
5:02
15."In Bottles"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
3:58
16."A Different Kind of Human"Aksnes
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
  • Skylstad[b]
4:01
17."Apple Tree"
  • Aksnes
  • Skalnes
  • Skylstad
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
  • Odd Martin[a]
3:08
18."The Seed"
4:26
19."Mothership"
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
2:16
20."Exist for Love"
  • Aksnes
  • Glen Roberts
  • Skylstad
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
4:15
21."The River (Live at J-Wave 81.3 FM)"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
  • Skalnes
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
  • Odd Martin
  • Ralph
 
Total length:77:32

Notes

Charts[]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 52
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21] 66
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 172
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[23] 98
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 58
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 4
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 32
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[29] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[30] 21
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[31] 96

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[32] Platinum 20,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Release dates and formats for A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
Region Date Version Format Label Ref.
Various June 7, 2019 Standard
[33][34]
Japan September 16, 2020 Bonus Track CD Universal [35]

References[]

  1. ^ "AURORA announces new album 'A Different Kind Of Human'". Mystic Sons. Chris Bound. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Aurora announces new album 'A Different Kind of Human'". DIY. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Aurora releases new single 'The Seed' and announces new album". Gigwise. Elli Chappelhow. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ^ Brimstin, Chelsea. "Stream: AURORA Drops New Conceptual Art-Pop Record 'A Different Kind of Human (Step II)'". Indie88. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Aurora: A Different Kind of Human: Step II review – idiosyncratic singer's dark electro-pop". The Guardian. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Padin, Malvika (14 June 2019). "Aurora - A Different Kind Of Human". Clash. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Bray, Elisa (6 June 2019). "Album reviews: Aurora – A Different Kind of Human, and Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven". The Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  8. ^ Andrew Trendell (28 September 2018). "AURORA tells us about her surprise 'empowering' new album 'Infections Of A Different Kind - Step 1' - watch". NME.
  9. ^ "