It’s been a couple of years since Canadian Katie Stelmanis – better known as electro-pop outfit Austra – released her last album Olympia. Despite the long wait, though, she will be releasing her third LP Future Politics on 20th January 2017 via 4AD. The album calls for “a commitment to replace the approaching dystopia.” Stelmanis continued to talk about the concepts behind the record as being about “not just hope in the future, but the idea that everyone is required to help write it, and the boundaries of what it can look like are both fascinating and endless. It’s not about ‘being political,’ it’s about reaching beyond boundaries, in every single field.”
To accompany the announcement, Austra has shared a brand new track, ‘Utopia,’ and a new video. It’s been directed by THAT GO, who has previously worked with the likes of Chairlift and Father John Misty, and sees Stelmanis trapped in an icy, foreboding modern apartment. THAT GO said of the clip: “Katie came into the video project with a lot of ideas about the future. We discussed everything from food trends to Star Trek: The Next Generation. The video is more near-future than distant-future, with recognizable technology and modern protein sources.” Watch below.
Photo credit: Renata Raksha
