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Austra Mark Imminent ‘Olympia’ Release With Ornate, Emotive ‘Hurt Me Now’

Austra

Austra, the goth-leaning electronic pop act led by Katie Stelmanis, release sophomore album Olympia tomorrow in North America via Domino and Paper Bag. The trio, turned a sextet since 2010’s promising Feel It Break, have already shared Olympia‘s percolating, house-informed “Painful Like” and moody, theatrical “Home” (which also has a disarmingly intimate video). Now comes “Hurt Me Now,” a sepulchral anthem that’s every bit as impressive as its predecessors. The chorus actually finds Stelmanis insisting “don’t hurt me now,” and while the funereal keys and eerie vocals continue to bring to mind the Knife, CHVRCHES, and other technology-wielding acts, the intricate arrangement also showcases the album’s use of live instrumentation. As Kate Bush once sang, fittingly, “It doesn’t hurt me.”