Austra shares new song "Mountain Baby" feat. Cecile Believe

As the release of Austra’s fourth album HiRUDiN moves closer - due May 1st, today Austra aka Katie Austra Stelmanis shares new song “Mountain Baby” feat. Cecile Believe.

Oddball pop masterpiece “Mountain Baby” is the third song to be shared from Austra’s new LP, following “Risk It” and “Anywayz”. Alongside Cecile Believe (LA/Montreal artist and the “voice” and co-writer on SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides), “Mountain Baby” also features a kid’s choir - students from Wilkinson Public School in Toronto where Katie’s mother is a teacher. The dichotomy of the choir and Cecile’s vocals reflect the song’s intentions. Katie explains further: “Mountain Baby explores the different stages of a breakup. Surrounded by a feeling of unknown and grounded only by a hidden sense to move forward (the choir), we’re also reminded through flashbacks of both the uncertainty and resistance we experienced in the relationship (Katie), as well as the pure, unbridled joy (Cecile).”

While Austra’s third album, 2017’s Future Politics, was concerned with the external power structures that shape society, HiRUDiN points inward, tracing a deeply personal journey towards regeneration, dealing with the fallout of toxic relationships, queer shame, and insecurity along the way. Named after the peptide released by leeches that is the most potent anticoagulant in the world, HiRUDiN is about the importance of healing the self, letting go of harmful influences, and finding the power to rebuild.

Working between Toronto, London, and Spain in early 2018, Stelmanis, who has been the sole producer for Austra in the past, was joined by co-producers Rodaidh McDonald and Joseph Shabason for the first time. The resulting album reaps the rewards of Austra’s leap into the unknown, in her most introspective yet inventive statement to date.

Austra’s May tour dates have been postponed to the same or an alternative venue, with the exception of London, Paris and Madrid which have been cancelled. New dates have been added for those cities (listed below). In addition a fully expanded tour will be announced and on sale in May. 

Upcoming tour dates
16th September - Great Hall, Toronto, ON
9th October - The Sultan Room, New York, NY
4th November - Niebo, Warsaw, PL
12th  November - Flex, Vienna, AT
15th  November - Metropol, Berlin, DE 
26th  November - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris, FR 
2nd December - EartH, London, UK 
4th December - Mil.Leni Festival, Barcelona, ES 
5th December - Cool, Madrid, ES