A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)

A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) is the second studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Aurora. It was released on 7 June 2019 through Decca Records and Glassnote Records.[2][3][4] It succeeds the album's first and previous chapter Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), which was released in September 2018.

A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
Studio album by
Aurora
Released7 June 2019 (2019-06-07)
GenreElectropop[1]
Length40:04
Label
Producer
Aurora chronology
Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)
(2018)		 A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
(2019)
Aurora studio album chronology
All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend
(2016)		 A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
(2019)
Singles from A Different Kind of Human (Step 2)
  1. "Animal"
    Released: 24 January 2019
  2. "The Seed"
    Released: 5 April 2019
  3. "The River"
    Released: 10 May 2019
  4. "Apple Tree"
    Released: 26 September 2019
  5. "Daydreamer"
    Released: 1 November 2019

Background

On the same day of the release of Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), Aurora confirmed in an interview with NME that Step 2 would be released either in 2019 or 2020.[5] 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.[6]

On 24 December 2018, Aurora announced in an interview for Bergen Tindende 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.[7]

The album's first single, "Animal", was released on 24 January 2019.

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.[8]

On 12 March 2019, in an interview on B-Sides On-Air, Aurora confirmed Step 2 has already been recorded since November 2018.[9] Then in the end of March, "The Seed" was confirmed to be the second single from the project.[10] Following the announcement, the album title and track list 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.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
musicOMH[13]
The Guardian[1]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[14]
NME[15]
Clash7/10[16]
The Independent[17]

At Metacritic, 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".

Track listing

Note: Track listing and credits adapted from Apple Music metadata.[18]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The River"
3:37
2."Animal"
3:35
3."Dance on the Moon"
3:36
4."Daydreamer"
3:39
5."Hunger"
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
2:46
6."Soulless Creatures"
  • Aksnes
  • Timothy Bran
  • Roy Kerr
  • Aurora
  • MyRiot[a]
5:02
7."In Bottles"
  • Aksnes
  • Skylstad
3:58
8."A Different Kind of Human"Aksnes
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
  • Skylstad[b]
4:01
9."Apple Tree"
  • Aksnes
  • Skalnes
  • Skylstad
  • Aurora
  • Skylstad
  • Odd Martin[a]
3:08
10."The Seed"
4:26
11."Mothership"
  • Aurora
  • Solstrand
2:16
Total length:40:04

Notes

Charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 52
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 66
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 172
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[22] 98
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 58
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 4
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 32
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 21
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[30] 96

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[31] Platinum 20,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Aurora: A Different Kind of Human: Step II review – idiosyncratic singer's dark electro-pop". The Guardian. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  2. "AURORA announces new album 'A Different Kind Of Human'". Mystic Sons. Chris Bound. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. "Aurora announces new album 'A Different Kind of Human'". DIY. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. "Aurora releases new single 'The Seed' and announces new album". Gigwise. Elli Chappelhow. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. Andrew Trendell (28 September 2018). "AURORA tells us about her surprise 'empowering' new album 'Infections Of A Different Kind - Step 1' - watch". NME.
  6. "🐺AURORA🐺 on Instagram: '••• ~~~ ~~ • ~ •••• •• ~• ~~• •• ••• ~•~• ~~~ ~~ •• ~• ~~• •• ~• ••~~~ ~~~~~ •~~~~ ~~~~•'" – via Instagram.
  7. "🐺AURORA🐺 on Instagram: 'This is an Aurora in her natural habitat. When you've been in the studio producing for too long. (Together with @producedbymagnus ) we've…'" – via Instagram.
  8. RIML_TV (18 February 2019). "Aurora - Records In My Life (2019 Interview)" – via YouTube.
  9. bsidestv (12 March 2019). "B-Sides On-Air: Interview - Aurora Talks 'Infections of A Different Kind', New Music" – via YouTube.
  10. "Musikknyheter.no - – Dette blir min første store norgesturne". www.musikknyheter.no.
  11. "Reviews for A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) by AURORA". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  12. "Step 2: A Different Kind of Human - Aurora". AllMusic. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  13. "Aurora – A Different Kind Of Human". MusicOMH. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  14. Bray, Jack (7 June 2019). "A Different Kind of Human is a thrilling step forward for Aurora". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  15. Trendell, Andrew (13 June 2019). "Aurora – 'A Different Kind Of Human (Step 2)' review". NME. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  16. Padin, Malvika (14 June 2019). "Aurora - A Different Kind Of Human". Clash. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  17. Bray, Elisa (6 June 2019). "Album reviews: Aurora – A Different Kind of Human, and Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven". The Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  18. "'A Different Kind of Human (Step 2) by AURORA on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  19. "ARIA Chart Watch #529". auspOp. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  22. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201924 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Aurora [NO – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2"] (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Aurora %5BNO%5D – A Different Kind of Human - Step 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  28. "Aurora Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  29. "Aurora Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  30. "Aurora Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  31. "Norwegian album certifications – AURORA – A Different Kind of Human - Step II" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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