Aurin – Serotonin
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Information about the Hard Rock Band Aurin from the US state of New Jersey are rare. Even the press kit is hard to find. The quartet around the couple Sarah and Andrew Wayne has released three albums so far. However, five years have passed between the second (“Catharsis” 2014) and the current long player. One of the reasons for this was, among other things, several live performances after “Catharsis”. For example, as support for Otep, Ill Nino or Adrenaline Mob. In addition, there were probably also lineup problems. After the lineup was completed by Lisa Toniolo on bass, the musicians started with the recordings. Here Aurin received financial support from their fans. The crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter was extremely successful. The album was produced by Mike Ferretti (Sevendust, Thank you scientist, Saliva). Since I own the two previous albums, I was naturally very curious about the latest work.
“Pause Rewind Repeat” is the title of the opener. Behind it hides a strong message. The song is meant to show that we need to be strong to overcome all the pain and suffering in this world. Singer Sarah screams this message out of herself. In addition, their bandmates rock. Guitarist and husband Andrew provide a lot of power with hard riffs and hooks But also drummer Linda and bassist Lisa contribute to the hard rock sound. No less heavy is “Hate You”. In “Serotonin” the neurotransmitter of the same name is discussed, as well as the mood swings or the restlessness, which can lead to an excessive serotonin activity. Accordingly, different moods can be heard in the song as well. Quiet and hectic passages alternate. This is followed by the powerful “Brother”. Depression, which can drive people into suicide, is omnipresent. But you are not alone. There is help, you just have to accept it. But the memories hurt. So, singer Sarah Anderson screams the words “Are you out there? Somewhere out there? Dead and gone, but you’re still here. So I’ll wait here, just one more year… Cause in my dreams I still see you.” As icing on the cake, you can hear the song again in a haunting acoustic version at the end of the album, where not Sarah sings, but her husband Andrew.
“Serotonin” is a thoroughly rocking album. The sound is somewhere in the intersection of classic rock, metal and alternative. And Aurin also master this musically. That alone makes “serotonin” a good album. But the four young musicians have been working hard on the everyday mental stress we are exposed to. A look into the lyrics and comments on each song is thought-provoking. Probably every one of us has been confronted with depression, suicide, illness or behavioral problems. Obviously, experiences and strokes of fate of the musicians are processed here. But the mood of the lyrics and music is optimistic. There is a way out. Out of the problems.
Aurin – Brother: https://youtu.be/XTPqa8ycrd4
Lineup:
Sarah Anderson Wayne – Vocals
Andrew Wayne – Guitar
Linda Medina – Drums
Lisa Toniolo – Bass
Label: The Label Group
Out: September 13th, 2019
Playing time: 30:42
Track list:
- Pause Rewind Repeat
- Hate You
- Serotonin
- Brother
- The Stranger
- Sick
- Brother (Acoustic)
Rating : 8.5/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
