Aura (The Brave album)

Aura is the second studio album by Australian metalcore band The Brave, released on 5 April 2019 by UNFD. It was produced by Troy Brady and recorded at Heliport Studios in Buderim.

This article is about the second studio album by Australian band The Brave. For other uses, see Aura.

Aura
Studio album by
The Brave
Released5 April 2019
StudioHeliport Studios, Buderim, QLD
GenrePost-hardcore, metalcore
Length37:58
LabelUNFD
ProducerTroy Brady
The Brave chronology
Epoch
(2016)		 Aura
(2019)
Singles from Aura
  1. "Ethereal"
    Released: 3 August 2017
  2. "Technicolor"
    Released: 6 February 2019
  3. "Desolation"
    Released: 6 March 2019
  4. "Burn"
    Released: 4 April 2019

Promotion and singles

On 2 August 2017, The Brave released their single "Ethereal" and its accompanying music video.[1] On 6 February 2019, the single "Technicolor" was released, alongside its accompanying music video.[2] A tour to promote "Technicolor" was announced shortly after its release, Melbourne rock band Windwaker joined them. They also announced Aura and its expected release date.[3] On 6 March, the band released their newest single, "Desolation", which was premiered on Triple J's Short.Fast.Loud segment.[4] On 4 April, a day before the album's release, the band released the single "Burn" alongside an accompanying music video.[5] On 15 May, the band announced an 'Aura Tour' with special guests Pridelands appearing at all but two performances.[6]

Writing and composition

Explaining the album's title, vocalist Nathan Toussaint said: "We all believe in auras, whether it be the auras that surround the people we meet during our travels, or the ones surrounding the places we visit either on tour or in our personal lives. It’s these same auras that draw us back to these places we visit or allow us to develop relationships with new people we meet and connect with along the way. The same applies to the music we write and the aura that it carries with it."[7]

The track "Ethereal" addresses the band's view on a world set on destroying itself.[8] Toussaint describes "Technicolor" as "...about one of [his] first experiences of getting a little too loose when [he] was young."[9] Many of the album's songs contains themes of love, loss, and change.[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Alt Dialogue4/10[11]
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life7.5/10[7]
Hysteria7/10[12]
The Soundboard5/10[13]
Wall of Sound[14]

The album received mixed to positive reviews. Chanel Issa from Hysteria gave the album a 7/10 and said: "Aura is not the album that will see The Brave reinvent the wheel, but it is the album that will see them drop a set of some incredibly catchy metalcore tunes."[12] Wall of Sound, in a positive review said: "The Brave have exploded back into the music scene with this one. After watching them perform recently on the Technicolor Tour, it's exciting[sic] to be able to see how far this band can go."[14] Carl Fisher of Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life rated the album positively, however criticised the title track as being "a slow RnB style song that is just so bland and so out of place when sandwiched in between the former and the latter, Desolation. It’s not about the effects in particular as they’re layered throughout but rather how poorly used they are there. It’s just too out of left field."[7] Alt Dialogue gave it a negative review, calling it "nothing more than generic metalcore, even that is giving it more credit than its worth."[11] Luke Nuttall of The Soundboard gave it a mixed 5/10 saying: "It might be worth a try for the most ardent of completionists, but if this album didn’t exist at all, things would be no better or worse off."[13]

Track listing

Track listing adapted from iTunes.[15]

No.TitleLength
1."Through the Dark"4:31
2."Technicolor"3:15
3."Out of Reach"3:14
4."Ethereal"3:02
5."Lost to the Night"3:28
6."Burn"3:41
7."Above the Clouds"3:56
8."Aura"2:51
9."Desolation"3:17
10."Dragged Down"3:35
11."Goodbye"3:01
Total length:37:58

Personnel

The Brave

  • Nathan Toussaint – lead vocals
  • Kurt Thomson – lead guitar
  • Denham Lee – rhythm guitar
  • Daniel Neucom – bass
  • Brent Thomson – drums

Production

  • Troy Brady – producer, engineering
  • WZRD BLD – mixing, mastering
  • Darren Oorloff – album artwork

Charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[16] 42

References
  1. UNFD (2 August 2017). "The Brave - Ethereal [Official Music Video]". Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via YouTube.
  2. UNFD (6 February 2019). "The Brave - Technicolor [Official Music Video]". Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via YouTube.
  3. brownypaul (7 February 2019). "The Brave announce new album Aura, drop first single 'Technicolor' + unveil East Coast Tour". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  4. "The Brave - "Make sure you tune into Short.Fast.Loud on triple j..." Facebook. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  5. UNFD (4 April 2019). "The Brave - Burn [Official Music Video]". Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via YouTube.
  6. "The Brave - Australia, we are hitting the road in August..." Facebook. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  7. Fisher, Carl (30 March 2019). "Album Review: The Brave - Aura (UNFD)". Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  8. Sievers, Alex (3 August 2017). "The Brave Unleash New Single, 'Ethereal'". KillYourStereo. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  9. The Editor (7 February 2019). "THE BRAVE // Announce New Album". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  10. Staff Writer (7 February 2019). "THE BRAVE Announce New Album AURA And Tease With Atmospheric Single "TECHNICOLOR"". Heavy Mag. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  11. "Album Review: Aura by The Brave". Alt Dialogue. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  12. Issa, Chanel (27 March 2019). "The Brave // Aura". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  13. Nuttall, Luke (3 April 2019). "ALBUM REVIEW: 'Aura' by The Brave". The Soundboard. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  14. walladmin (30 March 2019). "The Brave – Aura (Album Review)". SputnikMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  15. "Aura by The Brave on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  16. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
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