San Francisco artist AURSJOEN presents the single 'For Want Of', the second taste of her debut 'Strand' EP (out November 15 via Stratis Capta Records), offering a glimpse into her versatility as a vocalist and musician while keeping with the ethereal cinematics found in her debut single 'Nytår'. Both of these haunted beauties are sensual and mystical, nodding 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 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.
Beginning from a delicate piano motif, 'For Want Of' builds to a symphonic crescendo. Vocal lines are layered as the song unfolds, reminiscent of how we can hold different and sometimes opposite thoughts at the same time in our heads. While this track showcases her ethereal sensibilities, it also makes clear the true scope of Ria Aursjoen’s voice.
"'For Want Of' was written several years ago. I had just moved into an empty apartment with a baby, a toddler, a bag of clothes and a cooking pot. It was surreal -- one of the most difficult transitions in my life and I had layers of feelings that should have been irreconcilable, even though they existed together. On one hand, I felt empty desolation, and yet at the same time a fiery fullness that felt like a wild animal trying to break out of my heart. I tried to express these in the song as the contrast in vocal delivery as well as in the references to winter/ice and fire – references that show up as part of my lyrical lexicon in other songs as well. Instead of switching off from one to another, I layered them so that you hear them running together, to mirror how it felt internally," says Ria Aursjoen.
"What I really love is to create music that is more than the sum of its parts, where the interplay (either harmonically or rhythmically) between different motifs gives birth to something extra, something “meta” that you can’t predict or engineer. I think those two states of feeling did that in my life too… a different self, a new era was born for me out of that ice and fire."
AURSJOEN's debut 'Strand' EP was 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. The performances and sweeping arrangements recall Faith’s work with Faith and the Muse, although Ria Aursjoen’s voice and composition are distinctly recognizable as something uniquely her own.
Ria Aursjoen shares, "Regarding the video, initially I had storyboarded another concept, and David Kruschke and I were working on the locations. But Octavian Winters went on tour, and I was unavailable to shoot the video until we were too close to the release date to make it work. The day after I got home from tour, David and I went out to the coast near San Francisco and shot the video as we felt it. This turned out to be a great decision because I was so exhausted from the tour and it was so hot (we filmed during the October heat wave) that I didn’t have the time or energy to overthink any of it -- and what we ended up capturing was a much more untethered performance that felt very true to myself."
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.
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.
While the 'For Want Of' single will be officially released everywhere on October 21, it is available exclusively via Bandcamp this week. The 'Nytår' single can also be found there and the 'Strand' EP (out November 15) is also 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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