A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)

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A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
Aurora is against a reddish background with her eyes closed and thumbs under her chin while her palms are open. The subject has red marks in her skin and a black scarf around her neck.
Studio album by Aurora
Released 7 June 2019 (2019-06-07)
Genre
Length 40:04
Label
Producer
Aurora chronology
Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)
(2018)		 A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
(2019)		 The Gods We Can Touch
(2022)
Singles from A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)

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. Aurora collaborated with producers including Magnus Skylstad, MyRiot, Asjkell Solstrand, Odd Martin, Mark Ralph, Toby Gad, and Kill Dave during its recording. It has been categorised to be a pop, art pop, and electropop concept album.

Background

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"My first album was a lot about looking inwards and working with your own demons, becoming a warrior for yourself. All in all, it’s about becoming a warrior for the people that can’t be a warrior for themselves yet, so that’s why it’s important that this album felt like it was sent to a different kind of human. It has this mix of the ancient and futuristic because we are in a very interesting time now, as humans; we are trying to learn how to live with the world, the technology, with us, and trying to balance it all in harmony."

—Aurora describing the concepts for A Different Kind of Human and the inspirations it took from her debut album.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

The album's first single, "Animal", was released on 24 January 2019 alongside a music video released the same day.

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.[8]

On 12 March 2019, in an interview on B-Sides On-Air, Aurora confirmed Step 2 has already been recorded since November 2018.[9] Then in the end of March, "The Seed" was confirmed to be the second single from the project.[10] Following the announcement, the album title and tracklist 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. The singles "Apple Tree" and "Daydreamer" were released on 26 September 1029 and 1 November 2019, respectively.

Music and lyrics

Musically, the album combines pop,[11] art pop,[12] and electropop,[13] while drawing influences from Native American, African, Norwegian and Japanese folk music.[4] The record has been described to be a concept album that tackles themes of ecological crisis that "aim at society's self-centred capitalistic apathy."[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 77/100[16]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[17]
Clash 7/10[11]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[13]
The Independent 3/5 stars[14]
The Line of Best Fit 9/10[18]
musicOMH 4/5 stars[19]
NME 4/5 stars[20]

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]

AllMusic editor Marcy Donelson wrote that "while uneven, it's an album that sticks, both for its theatrical melodies and uncommon benevolence."[17] Michael Cragg of The Guardian suggested that the album "would have benefited from its predecessor’s [Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)] brevity" and added that it "deserves wider attention."[13] NME reviewer Andrew Trendell lauded the album's production, and message but commented that "Aurora's idiosyncrasies – which mostly set this album apart – sometimes also weigh it down."[20] Clash's Malvika Padin highlighted that "Aurora consistently plays to her lyrical strength, as meaningful words [...] make a home within the listeners psyche."[11]

Track listing

A Different Kind of Human (Step II) track listing
No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "The River"  
3:37
2. "Animal"  
3:35
3. "Dance on the Moon"  
3:36
4. "Daydreamer"  
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
  • Solstrand[a]
 3:39
5. "Hunger"  
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
 2:46
6. "Soulless Creatures"  
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
 5:02
7. "In Bottles"  
3:58
8. "A Different Kind of Human"  
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
  • Skylstad[b]
 4:01
9. "Apple Tree"  
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
  • Odd Martin[a]
 3:08
10. "The Seed"  
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
  • Solstrand[a]
 4:26
11. "Mothership"  
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
 2:16
Total length:
 40:04

Notes

Charts

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

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Norway (IFPI Norway)[32] Platinum 30,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
xunspecified 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

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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  24. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201924 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Aurora [NO – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2"] (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  26. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  27. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  30. ↑ "Aurora – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Aurora. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  31. ↑ "Aurora – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Aurora. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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