Austra and Patrick Holland – Siren Reprise

Austra is the project of Toronto-based composer and producer Katie Stelmanis, who has been running it since 2009 as a vehicle for her own particular corner of darkwave-inflected electropop. “Siren Reprise” is a collaborative version of “Siren Song,” a track from the album Chin Up Buttercup on Domino Recording Co., here reimagined with Montreal singer-songwriter and DJ Patrick Holland, who has been a co-writer on the piece since its early stages.

The concept draws on Greek mythology: a siren mourning a lover who leaves, drawn away by the sound of Orpheus’ lyre. It’s the kind of premise that could tip into po-faced bombast, but the arrangement keeps it grounded. Floating synth layers sit over trance-inflected beats, and Stelmanis’ vocals carry the emotional weight without overplaying it. Holland’s involvement steers the reprise away from a straight alternate take and into something with its logic.