Austra has collaborated with Cecile Believe on “Mountain Baby.” Austra’s forthcoming release HiRUDiN comes out on May 1st, via Pink Fizz. The track, is the third song to be shared off the new LP, following “Risk It” and “Anywayz”. Alongside Cecile Believe (co-writer on SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides), “Mountain Baby” also features a kid’s choir – students from Wilkinson Public School in Toronto where Katie’s mother is a teacher.

While Austra’s third album, 2017’s Future Politics, was concerned with the external power structures that shape society, HiRUDiN points inward, tracing a deeply personal journey towards regeneration, dealing with the fallout of toxic relationships, queer shame, and insecurity along the way. Named after the peptide released by leeches that is the most potent anticoagulant in the world, HiRUDiN is about the importance of healing the self, letting go of harmful influences, and finding the power to rebuild.

Recorded between Spain, London, and Toronto in early 2018, Stelmanis, who has been the sole producer for Austra in the past, was joined by co-producers Rodaidh McDonald (Savahes, The xx, David Byrne) and Joseph Shabason for the first time.

Austra’s May tour dates have been postponed to the same or an alternative venue, with the exception of London, Paris and Madrid which have been cancelled. New dates have been added for those cities (listed below). In addition a fully expanded tour will be announced and on sale in May.

Austra
Live

Sep 16 – Great Hall, Toronto, ON
Oct 9 – The Sultan Room, New York, NY
Nov 4 – Niebo, Warsaw, PL
Nov 12 – Flex, Vienna, AT
Nov 15 – Metropol, Berlin, DE
Nov 26 – La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris, FR
Dec 2 – EartH, London, UK
Dec 4 – Mil.Leni Festival, Barcelona, ES
Dec 5 – Cool, Madrid, ES