''A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. It was released on 7 June 2019 by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

and

Glassnote Records Glassnote Records (also known as Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC) is a record label that was launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. The label primarily has a lineup of indie rock and alternative rock artists, most notably M ...

. It succeeds the album's first and previous chapter '' Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)'', which was released in September 2018. Aurora collaborated with producers including Magnus Skylstad, MyRiot, Askjell Solstrand, Odd Martin, Mark Ralph,

Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produc ...

, and Kill Dave during its recording. It has been categorised to be a pop,

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

, and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

Background and production

On the same day of the release of '' Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)'', Aurora confirmed in an interview with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' that ''Step 2'' would be released either in 2019 or 2020. Months later, Aurora posted a photo which seems to be an alien invasion with a text that said "Something is coming in 2019" in Morse code, which hinted that ''Step 2'' would be set to be released in 2019. On 24 December 2018, Aurora announced in an interview for ''

Bergens Tidende ''Bergens Tidende'' is Norway's fifth-largest newspaper, and the country's largest newspaper outside Oslo. ''Bergens Tidende'' is owned by the public company Schibsted ASA. Norwegian owners held a mere 42% of the shares in Schibsted at the end ...

'' that ''Step 2'' is coming faster than expected, most likely because she and Magnus Skylstad had been in the studio for a very long time. ''A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)'' was recorded in November 2018 in a "tiny room", in which Aurora and Skylstad did not sleep to finish the album.

Music and lyrics

Musically, ''A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)'' combines pop,

, and

, while drawing influences from Native American,

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and

Japanese folk In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the worl ...

music. The record has been described to be a

that tackles themes of

ecological crisis An ecological or environmental crises occurs when changes to the environment of a species or population destabilizes its continued survival. Some of the important causes include: * Degradation of an abiotic ecological factor (for example, incr ...

that "aim at society's self-centred

capitalistic Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private pr ...

apathy."

Release and promotion

On 18 February 2019, Aurora announced that the title would not be under the assumed title of ''Infections of a Different Kind (Step 2)'', and it would have a different name. "It's kind of what I would hope for the music to do to us", Aurora said about ''Step 2''s title. The singer revealed that she was planning a sequel, known as ''Step 3'', expected to be released after her third studio album ''

The Gods We Can Touch ''The Gods We Can Touch'' is the third studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Aurora. It was released on 21 January 2022 by Decca and Glassnote Records. As in her other releases, Aurora worked with Magnus Skylstad and ...

'' (2022).

Singles

The album's first single, "Animal", was released on 24 January 2019 alongside a music video released the same day. At the end of March, "The Seed" was confirmed to be the second single from the project. Following the announcement, the album title and tracklist were revealed on 4 April 2019. On 10 May 2019, the song "The River" was released as the album's third single. It was followed by the promotional single "A Different Kind of Human", released on 31 May 2019. The singles "Apple Tree" and "Daydreamer" were released on 26 September 2019 and 1 November 2019, respectively.

Critical reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream publications, ''A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)'' received an average score of 77, based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Marcy Donelson wrote that "while uneven, it's an album that sticks, both for its theatrical melodies and uncommon benevolence." Michael Cragg of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' suggested that the album "would have benefited from its predecessor's nfections of a Different Kind (Step 1)brevity" and added that it "deserves wider attention." ''

'' reviewer Andrew Trendell lauded the album's production, and message but commented that "Aurora's idiosyncrasies – which mostly set this album apart – sometimes also weigh it down." '' Clashs Malvika Padin highlighted that "Aurora consistently plays to her lyrical strength, as meaningful words ..make a home within the listeners psyche."

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co- producer * signifies an additional producer.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Different Kind of Human 2019 albums Aurora (singer) albums Art pop albums Decca Records albums Glassnote Records albums