Ria Aursjoen will be familiar to some people via her work with Octavian Winters, a band whose recordings offer a more accessible take on gothic and symphonic rock sounds. Musically, the band’s love of an 80s sound is offset by a more contemporary darkness, but whatever route their arrangements take, its often Ria’s voice that’s the big musical draw. With that in mind, this solo EP comes as a very welcome addition to her catalogue. The first release under the Aursjoen name retains a haunting and sometimes gothic atmosphere in places, but much of the material conveys a different mood, often leaning further towards influences from folk and alternative pop, allowing Ria more space to share a dark beauty.

The EP’s lead track, ‘Nytår’ sets a somewhat cold feel in place almost immediately, which made it the obvious choice for a digital single release. The lead vocal blends folk melodies with a classic goth tone, and as the melody grows, the use of a multi-tracked vocal builds a brilliantly haunting soundtrack. This is far more introspective than any of Octavian Winters’ recordings, but it actually stands a good chance of attracting a broader and more devoted audience. There are hints of Bjork here (without the electronica), the dourness of PJ Harvey, and even a pinch of the much missed Delores O’Riordan within a brilliantly broad performance, and yet the influences are used in a way that ensures Aursjoen’s first foray into solo recording sounds relatively fresh, and very much like something with the ability to carve its own musical path. ‘Apollo’ actually improves on that with immediate effect when a droning guitar sets a dour atmosphere in place, from which a very mechanical rhythm is allowed to grow. Aursjoen’s voice arrives last, and it shares a slightly crooned delivery that offsets the musical mechanics brilliantly. There are moments here where her chosen tones sound like the legendary Siouxsie Sioux; others where Ria latches onto a bigger sound that’s reminiscent of Sinead O’Connor midway through the classic ‘Mandinka’. When heard alone, that voice has a real purity; when heard in a multi-layered arrangement, it’s got a defiant power, and the banshee wails used in place of a traditional chorus hook create something rather beautiful. With the droning guitar making a return to fill a short coda, this track feels like a complete listening experience packed into a really tight five minutes.

On the title cut, Aursjorn’s willingness to explore an entirely different sound should be applauded. You’ll find bright sounding guitar loops drawing from high toned folk melodies, tribal drums, bell like sounds that add prog rock like textures, and even a few droning keys to link everything. Over a great arrangement, Ria’s vocal soars, taking on a mood that falls squarely between dream pop and trippy prog-folk. The big melodies she shares seem more immediate than some parts of this EP, even if the arrangement’s complexity doesn’t make any lyrics stand out during early listens. This is really far removed from the gothic-ness of Aursjoen’s day job, giving this solo outlet a genuine validity; it’s almost like Mike Oldfield came on board to create something that blended his own sense of grandeur with Scandinavian folk and trippy pop sounds which, as you might expect, results in something rather otherworldly. There’s much to enjoy here, but this track – along with the equally brilliant, but very different ‘Suns of Tomorrow’ – is worth the price of admission.

Elsewhere, you’ll encounter a mid tempo blend of electronica and reverbed guitar lines on ‘Lilypad’, occasionally sounding like something commissioned from Garbage for use over a film’s end credits. A deceptively simple arrangement actually proves as deep as a couple of the previous tracks with its layers of synth and bass, while Ria explores her full vocal range, moving from a near spoken delivery to an operatic blast of sound to create an effective climax. ‘For Want of’, another of the EP’s singles, seems a little ordinary in comparison, but on its own merits, it provides another great slice of alternative pop on a tune that blends trip hop rhythms with more echoed vocals underscored by haunting piano. It’s a little more straight ahead than some of Aursjoen’s pieces, but its explosion into a world of big beats and wordless cries in place of a chorus hook, again, creates something rather striking.

Offering something much darker, the aforementioned ‘Suns of Tomorrow’ weaves a slow, haunting melody over an incessant drum loop. The heavy use of echo on the vocal and the minimalist approach to the arrangement occasionally hints at a love of Cocteau Twins (albeit with real lyrics making it more palatable), before a slow ambient interlude leads into a strange orchestral section that sounds as if it were written with the soundtrack for a bleak Nordic drama in mind. The second half of the track takes everything from mildly unsettling to grand, via a choir of vocals and wobbly sounding drones, before Aursjoen finds her way back to the original Cocteau-ish melody. This is possibly the EP’s least accessible track, but a willingness to never compromise or pander too much to a specific audience actually makes it ‘Strand’s best number, hands down. You can tell that Aursjoen has made music purely for the love of the creative process here; any regard for commercial success is secondary. That said, with Eivør and other arty Scandinavian artists gaining popularity among the prog rock set, this might not be as “far out” as that all important first listen suggests.

This is one of those releases where the EP format actually lends an extra strength to the material. There’s enough here to engage the listener, but never enough to make the material feel in any way repetitive. It’s often more of a showcase for Aursjoen’s voice than infectious songcraft – and on the former point, it’s absolutely superb – but quality time spent getting to grips with the material will eventually uncover a rich and thoughtful work that should entertain fans of a broad spectrum of gothy-pop sounds. Fans of Octavian Winters will certainly want to hear this, but for those unfamiliar with Aursjoen’s prior works, this will still offer some great entertainment value over time. ‘Strand’ isn’t especially immediate, but it’s certainly a recommended listen.

October 2024