It’s been exactly ten years since the last release by Arizona-based post-punk band Audra. The glam-infused Projekt Records band, consisting of brothers Bret and Bart Helm and more recently, drummer Jason DeWolfe, issued three classic albums in the early 2000s, ushering in a new era of androgyny and power into the new millennium. In the interim, vocalist and guitarist Bret Helm has kept busy, moonlighting as a contributing member to Black Tape for a Blue Girl and most recently, Unto Ashes. While it seemed like Audra was on hiatus for the better part of a decade, the band has re-emerged with a new LP, entitled Dear Tired Friends. We’re honored to premiere the second single from the record, the powerful, shape-shifting “Planet of Me.” Listen below.
The track begins with a delicately plucked guitar rhythm, pausing before a hefty bass line and tom-heavy drumbeat kicks in, adding rhythmic tension and a spark of tribal energy to the track. “Planet of Me” builds with quiet abandon, starting and stopping each verse, as Helm’s vocals add a drop of sardonic bite to the track. In time, the tension boils over into an explosive passage of harder drumming and electric guitar, provided by Lycia’s Mike VanPortfleet. The track continues to evolve, eventually layering all of these precise moments into a lush wash of sound. In addition to expanding on Audra’s existing palate of Bowie, Iggy, and Velvet Underground-inspired post-punk, there are hints of both Savage Republic’s desert-by-night chill and And Also the Trees’ pastoral power throughout, yet the track still perfectly encapsulates Audra’s unique and vital sound through and through.
Dear Tired Friends is currently slated for release on August 23rd. The band is self-releasing the album through Bandcamp, including a limited clear vinyl pressing, a standard black vinyl edition, and a CD edition as well. Check below for the full album artwork, track list, and pre-order details:
Audra – Dear Tired Friends
1. Tired Friends
2. Wish No Harm
3. Another Fallen Petal
4. Drinking Yourself To Sleep
5. Sunglass
6. Planet Of Me
7. Sliding Under Cars
8. Fireflies
9. 1987
10. Falling
Pre-order via Bandcamp.
Photo by Bret Helm.
