Austra – Risk It (Music Video)
Since the release of her 2017 album Future Politics, Toronto-based artist Austra (born Katie Austra Stelmanis) has been busy touring, inspiring fans with her dynamic, message-driven electronic music. Internally, however, Stelmanis was struggling with a toxic relationship and was feeling uninspired and stagnant in her creative process. After breaking things off, and starting new, Austra has released her latest single “Risk It”, the first new material since her 2017 release.
Featuring Canadian strings duo Kamancello on kamanche (Kurdish violin) and cello, and percussion from noise artists c_RL, “Risk It” is a crisp medley of swelling vocals and abrupt instrumentation, finding a balance between fragile and piercing.
The song’s story follows a female protagonist, desperate yet scared to leave a relationship. The video’s director, Jasmin Mozzafari, says “I wanted to construct a narrative piece that takes place over the course of one night, focusing on a protagonist caught at the inevitable crossroads that exist when love falls apart. Ultimately, I saw ‘Risk It’ as a song about the fear of being vulnerable. At the beginning, the protagonist tries to do anything to evade this feeling; by the end, they are forced to face it.”
Enjoy the music video below, and find Austra on tour this summer (dates below). Head to her website for more music and information.
Tour dates:
May 5 – Longboat Hall – Toronto, ON
May 7 – The Sultan Room – New York, NY
May 12 – Hoxton Hall – London, UK
May 13 – Le Badaboum – Paris, FR
May 14 – Mil.Leni Festival – Barcelona, ES
May 16 – Mallorca Live Festival – Palma de Mallorca, ES
May 18 – Theater Im Delphi – Berlin, DE
May 20 – Niebo – Warsaw, PL
May 21 – WUK – Vienna, AU
May 22 – Tomavistas Festival – Madrid, ES
