"Katie Stelmanis' career has been defined by evolution-performing with bands and as a solo artist, experimenting across art-punk and electro-pop, and working with varied collaborators like Fucked Up and Death in Vegas. But despite all the change-ups, her music has always made use of several key elements: emotionally indulgent lyrics about the pain of heartbreak; a showstopping voice dripping with vibrato; and the ability to pinpoint the sweet spot between uplifting dance music production and sobering, shadow-dappled indie sensibilities."
"In the synth-pop project Austra, which she started in 2009, Stelmanis has made tinkering with her formula an integral part of her appeal as a songwriter, continuously recalibrating these building blocks and coming up with slightly different results each time. Austra's 2017 record Future Politics, for example, used techno and house influences to meditate on Trump-era anxiety; they followed it up with , which indulged the baroque flourishes of Stelmanis' earlier material."
Katie Stelmanis has evolved through band and solo performances across art-punk and electro-pop, collaborating with acts like Fucked Up and Death in Vegas. Her music consistently centers on indulgent lyrics about heartbreak, a showstopping vibrato-laden voice, and a balance between uplifting dance production and shadowed indie sensibilities. Austra’s work since 2009 has involved continual recalibration of these elements, ranging from techno- and house-inflected Future Politics to baroque-leaning follow-ups. Chin Up Buttercup heightens club-ready energy while retaining emotional depth, showcasing more overt dance textures and production flexibility. The lead single "Math Equation" pairs bouncy, icy Scandipop rhythms with Stelmanis’ deadpan delivery.
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