Aurora is a Norwegian singer/songwriter with a knack for straddling the line between folk pop and avant-garde electronica. Tom Rowlands is one half of big beat pioneers The Chemical Brothers. Together, they are Tomora. Their debut collaboration Come Closer is their Venn diagram, magnifying their shared center while exploring the frontiers beyond.
Come Closer is structured akin to a DJ set, with nearly every song bleeding into the next. The way “A Boy Like You” seamlessly shifts into the pulsating anxiety attack of lead single “Ring the Alarm” (itself channeling the punky breakbeat-fueled intensity of The Prodigy) is particularly effective—and pleasantly disconcerting. Also unnerving, in a good way, is “A Boy Like You,” which creeps and clangs with a menacing Massive Attack heartbeat, and throws in some space invader laser zaps for good measure. “My Baby” keeps the ball rolling with the unsettling immediacy of a Peter Bjorn & John indie pop earworm that crawled through a hole out of the Upside Down into our marginally less freaky version of reality. Aurora even fires off some Kate Bush sounding trills near the end of the song that effortlessly surf the crests of Rowlands’ beats.
Tomora could have ridden that creepy vibe alone to success. But Come Closer augments it with other winning ideas. The title track exudes the androgynous sensuality of a fractured Lykke Li torch song, while “Have You Seen Me Dance Alone” filters off kilter Eurodisco through a goth-tinged dubstep lens. “Wavelengths” slows things down but still packs a powerful punch, coming across like a Sinead O’Connor song recorded in a haunted castle. It glitches and soars, and boasts an atmosphere that you can feel like a humid midsummer day. Aurora’s voice is a potent weapon throughout the album, equally capable of piercing yelps, haunting drones, and gorgeous ethereal singing. This gives her an ability to adapt to and enhance Rowlands’ varied sonic niches.
Come Closer is equally suited to an underground club night or a midnight headphone session. It could also be the soundtrack to a supernatural horror thriller. When everything the album has to offer comes together just right, like in the arty, propulsive swirl of “Somewhere Else,” it instills hope that Tomora’s debut isn’t a one-off project, but the start of a long, fruitful partnership. | Mike Rengel
