photo by Brittney Bollay
In Latvian mythology, Austra is the goddess of light, and though the Toronto band of the same name is frequently lumped in with moody, dancey, new wavey (but don’t call them “goth”) bands like Zola Jesus and Cold Cave, it’s not hard to see how Austra shines brightly. Originally formed by singer Katie Stelmanis with drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf, Austra now tours with six members, who together create luminous music that is anything but brooding. Recently, Stelmanis brought the band to illuminate the KEXP studio and perform songs from Feel It Break, their 2011 release, which can be found on several KEXP’ers Top 10 lists. You can ready more about Austra here and check out the videos their recent session now:
