For the past few years I’ve been following Aurora’s music. Her last one, The Gods We Can Touch, was one of my favorite releases of 2022, so I was more than excited for what would come next. Aurora’s fifth studio album was released on June 7, 2024. Titled What Happened to the Heart?, it’s prefaced with a remark about a letter the artist read, which influenced the direction of this latest body of work, and it was to great effect. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!
What Happened to the Heart? was supported by a handful of singles—I mentioned a couple of them previously as my picks for different Music Monday posts. These include songs like Your Blood, Some Type of Skin, The Conflict of the Mind, To Be Alight, and Starvation. I already liked what I’d heard, and it built up a high expectation for the album, on my end.
And yet, in the end, I was still surprised, especially hearing the singles in the context of the album as a whole. It created a cohesive listening experience without being repetitive. Every song felt like its own self-contained chapter within the album. It was indie pop with some disco and techno influences, as well as dipping its toes into a folksy flare at times (for example A Soul With No King). It was grounded in the core theme surrounding the question posed by the title, delivered with Aurora’s distinctive vocals. As I mentioned above, everything was done to great effect.
I could go on and on all day about What Happened to the Heart?, but the best way to experience the album is by actually listening to it. This is one of Aurora's best. So, if you can’t tell, I highly recommend it.
