San Francisco-based artist AURSJOEN presents her debut single 'Nytår', a haunted beauty of a track that is both sensual and mystical. A nod to her Scandinavian ancestry, this reverie-infused music is lush, layered and sweepingly cinematic. Dark and light in equal measure, this dynamic slice of ethereal gothica is complemented by a haunting video, created by filmmaker David Kruschke.
AURSJOEN is the project of Ria Aursjoen, who is vocalist and keyboardist for critically acclaimed post-punk outfit Octavian Winters, who released their debut EP 'The Line or Curve' in 2023, followed by their 2024 'Nebula / Velveteen' single with electronic-industrial legend Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated). A classically-trained singer and multi-instrumentalist, her musical past is steeped in genres ranging from Celtic and Nordic folk to darkwave and progressive metal.
AURSJOEN's debut 'Strand' EP, slated for release on November 15 via Stratis Capta Records). Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith and the Muse, Mephisto Waltz, Christian Death) at 13 Studio in Chicago, Aursjoen is joined by Octavian Winters bandmate Stephan Bryan Salit, who lends his creative flourish to the mix, contributing dynamic and atmospheric guitars on two songs.
This first single 'Nytår', which means 'New Year' in Danish, was written on New Year’s Eve of 2022. The world was slowly emerging from the pandemic and still seemed half-stopped. Ria Aursjoen nevertheless felt bright hope nested inside that cold night. Set in the gathering gloom of a timeless winter evening, with crystals of ice flying on the dark wind, this song is a meditative lament that captures the cold and dark before the song rises like the sun itself as the singer invokes the return of the light and warmth.
Ria Aursjoen reveals the origins of 'Nytår': "This song started when I was experimenting with a slow-moving string arrangement that captured my imagination and made me think of walking down a dark road in winter, against the wind. The more I saw the image in my mind, the more it reminded me of Denmark, where I spent years as a child. It especially reminded me of how the world looked and felt when I would go out with my ice skates in the winter twilight to skate on the pond near my house at the outskirts of Copenhagen, so I wrote the lyrics in Danish. Midwinter in Denmark is very dark and very cold with short days. You spend time dreaming of the spring returning, waiting for it. My memories of that time as well as the language itself transported me back to those feelings and guided the way the song evolved both lyrically and musically.”
Aursjoen comes from a familial line of musicians, her grandmother Lillian an opera singer and grandfather Morris a singer and self-taught multi-instrumentalist. Having taught herself to play piano by ear at age three, she considers it her instrument of choice for songwriting; “I have been playing for as long as I remember, so piano feels like an extension of myself, a native language if you like”.
Nevertheless, singing unlocked something even more powerful within her, even to the extent that she was frequently in trouble at school for disturbing other students by constantly singing to herself during class. She shares, “The neighbours would complain about me singing loudly outside their windows while I waited for the school bus. They told my mother they didn’t know what I could possibly have to sing about that early in the morning. Fortunately, my mother never took the complaints seriously and never tried to discourage me. She has been my biggest supporter, and a great friend, and I wouldn’t be here today as an artist if not for her.”
As someone who has synesthesia, a rare neurodiverse condition in which senses overlap, Aursjoen experiences sound as visual structures, colours and textures. As a child, she wrote her musical ideas down in a unique system of notation she created, based around her visual perceptions of music. She admits, “I avoided regular music notation as much as I could. I coaxed my mother (a great sight reader) into playing my piano homework. Then I’d listen and learn it by ear – eventually my piano teacher discovered I had been faking note reading and I had to buckle down and really learn it… I am glad I did, but I still find it clunky and unintuitive, and still write music in my personal system of notation.”
Aside from music, Ria Aursjoen is a published writer and visual artist, having won two national art competitions by the age of eight and illustrated a children’s book. She creates much of Octavian Winters’ artwork and currently works with inks and parchment velum to create palimpsest-style art.
As of September 11, 'Nytår' is available everywhere digitally, including Bandcamp. The full 'Strand' album, out November 15 via Stratis Capta Records, is already available for pre-order.
CREDITS
All songs written & performed by Ria Aursjoen
Arranged by Ria Aursjoen and William Faith
Guitars on 'Lilypad' & 'Apollo' by Stephan Bryan Salit
Produced, recorded, mixed & mastered by William Faith at 13 Studio in Chicago
Published by Airdaughter Music BMI
Released by Stratis Capta Records
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
'Nytår' video by David Kruschke
Cover artwork by Ria Aursjoen
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