The Gods We Can Touch

* Original
* Japan Special Edition

## Alternative covers

Artemis (Alternative Vinyl/Cassette Cover)

Oizys (Alternative Vinyl/Cassette Cover)

Eros (Alternative Vinyl/Cassette Cover)

## Album Chronology

***The Gods We Can Touch*** is the fourth album/major release by AURORA. It was released worldwide on January 21, 2022.

## Background

### Early plans

Aurora started talking about a new album shortly after releasing her preceding album in 2019, mentioning a possible 2020 release. In April that year, she hinted at working on two new albums, saying "the next album goes quite far – it goes beyond anything I've ever done."

On October 28, 2019, Aurora mentioned that she was working on two albums at the same time, one of which she has said is "longer into the future." She then talked about the closer one, saying: "It's not connected to *Step 2*. It has its own story. The perspective is much bigger. It's still quite political, and it's still quite opinionated and it's also very emotional. It's even more about the individuals that make the army. It's an album for every individual within the big army of love." After that, Aurora said that this LP would be a standalone collection of songs and left a clue that "everything matters", mentioning that her fans would understand it. Two years later, a song with the same name was discovered.

During an interview with *Fast Forward Magazine* the following month, Aurora announced that she was actually working on three albums and that one of them (likely the one previously mentioned) was already started and will be even more emotional. "I want to create something that feels like a best friend to the people. Music is an emotional language, the language of love." The Norwegian singer also established that this album will have a bigger perspective regarding what her latest work talks about. "I guess I'm going even wider with that perspective, more spiritual. And then maybe I'll go back really, really small again. It's really exciting."

In an interview on November 6, 2019, Aurora revealed more information, saying: "My next album will be dressed in an armor of hardness. But I'm also really exploring the soft, delicate part of me, which I want to open up even more on my next album. And I'm discovering more and more things I want to be more involved in, because I've discovered fans all over the world who live in cultures that are unfair towards the people... I want to use my voice for something good, even though it might not matter, but at least I am there to show support." In December, she told *NRK* she would take a break from touring to be at home more and stated again she'd like to release an album in 2020, hoping to release a song in January 2020.

### *The Gods We Can Touch* plans

Aurora said they had started production of a new album around November 2019, but she was still undecided on which album to release first. In a later interview, she said: "It began when I wrote 'Exist for Love' in January 2020. That's when I knew what the album was going to be called. When I fell asleep after I'd written and recorded 'Exist for Love', I knew the title for the album. All the other songs came naturally after that." She said something similar in another interview. It is plausible that some of her earlier statements were not about *The Gods We Can Touch*, but about other albums or ideas.

In April 2020, *HITS Daily Double* revealed that new music was coming in May. On May 11, 2020, Aurora archived all her Instagram posts, and posted about a new song about love and starting the next era. The next day, she announced her single "Exist for Love". It was officially released on May 14.

After the premiere of the "Exist for Love" music video, Aurora indicated having written many songs for the album, but that it was still in the making. The album was mostly written in Aurora's apartment during a time without travel and stress. A few days later, she answered some questions about the upcoming record in the comment section of "Exist for Love" on YouTube: "It will be different from my other albums, but not all like 'Exist for Love'." "As any album I make, I need to have both contrast in every thing I do. The album will be soft, and light, and heavy and dark. But it will be a different album." "I have been working on it in the shadows for quite a long time now... But a few weeks ago I woke up one morning and I could see the whole concept really clearly in my mind. So it's gotten real serious. I am having a lot of fun. It's going to be a very fun adventure writing this chapter".

A second single was planned to be released around late June/early July, according to an interview with *Indierocks*, but it was postponed, considering that there were other voices that needed to be heard, such as those of the Black Lives Matter movement. Aurora said: "A song seemed meaningless and unimportant at the time, and I think I should listen to the world and release my next single when I feel it's respectful, when I think it's time, sometimes it's not my voice that should be heard." She also talked about a new music video and more singles.

In September, the Norwegian singer-songwriter confirmed to *NME* that her next release would not be another "step" and that people should expect "something completely different". "It's chapter three of my life, it's a very new world for me," she said. "I've gotten to explore some very new things within myself, which just makes it all the more fun. I'm asking questions to everything that made us the way we are now; in our past, in politics, religion, and in weird ways of thought we have created that make no sense – like racism, not being a feminist or burning women for being witches." When asked about more new music, she replied: "I have quite a lot ready already, but I've been wondering a lot about when's the right time. Sometimes there is so much happening in the world that it feels wrong to release a song if it's not a direct answer. It can feel a bit rude. I haven't had it in me yet, but maybe [I'll release more music] in the Autumn."

In October 2020, Aurora stayed for a month at Baroniet Rosendal, a historic estate in Kvinnherad, Norway, to record for the album.

In 2021, during a livestream for the release of her compilation EP *For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest*, Aurora described the album as "a strange one but a good one" and mentioned that she was still working on it.

Aurora was interviewed by *NRK* on April 28 about the success of "Runaway". At the end, Aurora described her upcoming album as "It's pretty absurd. I think it has been a very absurd time, but also a good time that can remind us of a lot of forgetting in the chaos of the ordinary world. So it's a bit like that absurd music, at the same time as it's a bit cinematic". The interview was featured on national late news TV.

In an interview by Igor Saringer in May 2021, Aurora described the music as "very different but still very Aurora", also saying she "want[s] to bring a little bit of light into the world." Not long after, Aurora hosted a YouTube livestream and answered a few questions about the release. Mentioning she was excited for the buzz around "Runaway" to calm down, so she could release new music, she described the new single as "Different, but I think it's important to have a bit of humor. I think you'll understand what I mean." Aurora also described the album's sound as more "sensual", with some songs in her lower vocal register.

The next month, Aurora said to *KINK* that the album was finished, but she was "fixing things that don't need to be fixed". Days later, she posted a video of her singing while holding a mask, hinting at a new release. Soon after, she posted another video confirming that a new song would indeed come "sooner than you think". The same day, she announced a game to start the song's promotion.

"Cure for Me" was released on July 7, 2021. The day before, Aurora did an interview with *Bergens Tidende*, where she stated that her new album was finished, saying "before I left home, I listened to the latest version and approved it".

During a Reddit AMA on July 13, Aurora stated:

> "This era of my life is very influenced by the ancient times where theatre was all they had. No CGI or special effects etc. and I really wanted all these videos to feel very authentic, and down to earth! The shell in 'Exist for Love' was handmade by someone, and I painted all the masks in 'Cure for Me' myself! So I like it when it feels... human <3".
>
>

On September 6, 2021, it was confirmed that the album was postponed to early 2022. A few days later, she revealed the place the album was recorded (the Barony in Rosendal) in an interview with *Dagsavisen*, a possible release month (January) and the reason for its delay.

On October 11, Aurora announced "Giving In to the Love" as the album's third official single. It was released worldwide on October 14, 2021 and the album was officially announced on the same day. Before the reveal, the tracklist and artwork had accidentally been uploaded online with the incorrect release date of January 7, 2022.

On October 18, an e-mail was sent through Aurora's mailing list with a link to a quiz for *The Gods We Can Touch*. The results revealed the related gods for all the announced songs on the album.

On November 15, a variant of the album was added to Aurora's web store, titled *Artemis* (vinyl and cassette), featuring alternative cover art. In December and January, two more variants appeared on the web store, titled *Oizys* and *Eros*.

On December 3, the fourth single "Heathens" was released by surprise and soon after a live performance video of the song was published. On January 5, 2022, Aurora announced a new upcoming single via Instagram, tagging French singer-songwriter Pomme in the post, who did the same on her Instagram. On January 7, "A Dangerous Thing" and "Everything Matters" were released on a single (titled after the former).

The album was released on January 21, 2022 with "A Temporary High" charting as a single at the same time. *A Touch of the Divine*, a special event was webcasted a few days after the album's release. In March, Aurora embarked on the extended The Gods We Can Touch Tour.

Spring and summer 2022 saw the releases of previously vinyl-exclusive tracks "The Woman I Am", "The Devil Is Human" and "A Potion for Love", as well as acoustic versions of "A Temporary High" and "The Woman I Am".

## About the album

In the promo text for her North America tour, it was noted:

> "It's through those perceived flaws in even gods and goddesses that Aurora has been able to explore the redundant concept of shame. 'In short, this album is a celebration of the things we should never be ashamed of,' she adds. In the middle of it all we find core values like instinct, empathy and a sense of adventure. We also find acceptance, in Aurora's words, 'of what makes us different'."
>
>

## Track listing

### Regular

The digital release, CD editions, cassette editions, alternative artwork vinyl editions and Glassnote vinyl editions have the following track listing:

### Japan editions

The first bonus track appears on the original Japanese CD release, while the *Japan Special Edition* also includes a bonus CD with extra tracks. It's not mentioned that "The Woman I Am" is the "Vevo Session" version instead of the original or radio mix.

### Bonus track reissue vinyl

On October 5, 2023, a reissue of the vinyl was put up for sale on Aurora's web store. This vinyl's tracklist included "The Woman I Am" as track number 16. This is also how a certain version of the album appears on Spotify.

### Alternative tracklist vinyl

The Decca standard and white vinyl editions, and the Petroleum Records vinyl editions feature an alternative (earlier) track listing. The track positions are different and they include "The Woman I Am" and "The Devil Is Human" instead of "Giving In to the Love" and "You Keep Me Crawling" from the other (final) editions. Additionally, several songs themselves are slightly different ("The Innocent", "Heathens", "Blood in the Wine" and "A Temporary High").

The tracklist is as follows:

### Album concept

On March 29, 2023, cover designer Leif Podhajský posted concept art from the album campaign. The concepts contained an alternative track listing including currently unreleased songs ("Heaven", "The Medicine I Need" and "Hermaphroditus"). "The Forbidden Fruits of Eden" and "The Woman I Am" are missing from this tracklist and "AURORA" is misspelled as "ARORA" on two of the concepts. This tracklist is likely from before Aurora wrote and recorded "Giving In to the Love" and "You Keep Me Crawling" for the album. Some of the songs have slightly different titles compared to their final releases.

The tracklist is as follows:

1. "Exist for Love"
2. "Cure for Me"
3. "Temporary High"
4. "Heathens"
5. "The Innocent"
6. "Heaven"
7. "Dangerous Thing"
8. "The Medicine I Need"
9. "The Devil Is Human"
10. "Exhale, Inhale"
11. "Artemis"
12. "Everything Matters"
13. "The Blood in the Wine"
14. "This Could Be a Dream"
15. "Hermaphroditus"
16. "Potion for Love"
17. "We Are Going to the Moon"

### Notebook list

On October 5, 2023, Aurora's *The Gods We Can Touch* book was listed for sale on her web store. Following the announcement of the book, several pages were shared by Aurora on social media. One of the pages contained a list of 23 song titles sorted under "DARK" and "LIGHT" sections. Twelve of them were different from their final titles ("Mama Yyu Yyu" was a different spelling of the later found alternative title of "Hermaphroditus") and the entirely new song title "Angels on Earth", along with "Midas Touch" and "God of War", were included on the list.

When the list was created is currently unknown, but it does appear to be older than the tracklist seen on the concept art, as "The Medicine I Need" is listed under its older and alternative title "Bloodlines". However, it is worth mentioning that the title for "A Little Place Called the Moon" here is "A Little Place Called Moon", which is closer to the final title and not the alternative (and seemingly older) title "We Are Going to the Moon".

"The Forbidden Fruits of Eden" appears on this list, along with "The Woman I Am" (despite the two of them missing from the concept art tracklist), as well as "A Potion for Love" and all other songs eventually released on the first vinyl version of the album (still missing "Giving In to the Love" and "You Keep Me Crawling").

It is worth noting that "The Devil Is Human" appears twice, once under its final title and once under its alternative title "Father Don't Blame Us". It is unknown if this was a mistake or done on purpose.

"Mama Yyu Yyu", "Bloodlines" and "Cure for Me" were marked with question marks. Their meaning has yet to be revealed.

### Outtakes

Some of the track titles listed here appear under alternative titles elsewhere, see the song pages for details.

Tracks that appeared on the Decca standard and white vinyl editions, and the Petroleum Records vinyl editions of the album, along with alternative versions of "The Innocent", "Heathens", "Blood in the Wine" and "A Temporary High":

* "The Woman I Am"
* "The Devil Is Human"

Tracks that appeared on the album concept art by Leif Podhajský:

* "Heaven"
* "The Medicine I Need"
* "Hermaphroditus"
* "A Potion for Love"

More outtakes were confirmed in Aurora's *The Gods We Can Touch* book:

* "Midas Touch"
* "God of War"
* "Angels on Earth"

Other possible outtakes:

* "Human Nature"
* "Life of Its Own"
* "Melancholia"
* "Red Moon"
* "Revolution"
* "Silent Violence"
* "Wake Up"

## Trivia

* Aurora mentioned "Exhale Inhale" and "A Little Place Called the Moon" as her favourite tracks on the album.
* The album's original 2020 release schedule was delayed due to world events.
	+ It was later delayed again in 2021 due to "Runaway" going viral on TikTok.
		- During the delay, "Giving In to the Love" and "You Keep Me Crawling" were written and added to the tracklist.
* The album and its alternative art versions feature cover photographs by Xin Li and cover designs by Leif Podhajský, see the full shoot here.
* Some of the gods appearing in a promotional quiz are different from the ones Aurora noted as the inspiration for its songs elsewhere.
* In early 2021, a fan commented on an Instagram post asking about the album's release. Aurora liked the comment and responded with three emojis: a sun, lungs and a dead rose.
* The different versions of songs that appear on some of the vinyl versions were only marketed or noted as such on some sites.
* Asked to compare the album before it was released, Aurora said that about half the album sounds like the acoustic version of "Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)" and later said that "Heathens" is quite in tune with how the album sounds.
* Inspirations for this album include darkness and light, good and bad, and love.
* Press coverage of some late off-album singles stated that a deluxe version of the album was upcoming, possibly referring to the *Japan Special Edition*, but there was no worldwide or digital release.
* On February 1, 2020, Aurora posted a list of (supposed) song titles on Instagram. It is unclear if this had anything to do with the inital plans for the album, although "The Innocent" and "Storm" were eventually released.

## References

1. ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/TGWCT
2. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVAySuij5cE/
3. ↑ https://www.adressa.no/pluss/kultur/2019/08/30/Aurora-gir-ut-nytt-album-neste-%C3%A5r-19798172.ece
4. ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/aurora-inspiring-billie-eilish-chemical-brothers-explosive-new-album-different-kind-human-2472751
5. ↑ https://riffmagazine.com/qa/aurora-building-army-of-love/
6. ↑ https://fastforward-magazine.de/aurora-im-interview-die-jugend-hat-am-meisten-hoffnung/
7. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9cXfUSh13iOleO0gWKQx6hld0cVqpQXEkxAtTb40RU (translation)
8. ↑ https://popspoken.com/music/2019/11/aurora-neon-lights-singapore
9. ↑ https://motley.ie/interview-aurora/
10. ↑ https://www.nrk.no/hordaland/aurora-tek-turnepause-1.14816309
11. ↑ https://www.billboard-japan.com/d\_news/detail/83125/2
12. ↑ https://nbhap.com/stories/interview-aurora-imperfection-and-spirituality
13. ↑ https://title-mag.com/you-dont-need-a-cure-for-yourself-norwegian-pop-star-aurora-on-songwriting-self-doubt-and-community/
14. ↑ https://hitsdailydouble.com/the\_bside&id=321248
15. ↑ https://twitter.com/AURORAmusic/status/1259896315498180608
16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmXhLYliGXU&t=114s
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://www.bt.no/kultur/i/x8dy0Q/aa-bli-kjemperik-virker-saa-forraatnende-for-sjelen
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 https://www.reddit.com/r/auroramusic/comments/skfm7f/
19. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YDkrJaiCrw&lc=Ugzw1i\_7omOnFd55K-x4AaABAg.98o5IKr3A\_f98o6NJP8YVk
20. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YDkrJaiCrw&lc=Ugwh-KqA3CdENLyMIkd4AaABAg.98o5NZz3HQr98o5kisoQoj
21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YDkrJaiCrw&lc=Ugx1xoQ62VS8WaIp0Q94AaABAg.98o3EGfZPYL98o4X3A\_v57
22. ↑ https://www.indierocks.mx/musica/entrevistas/entrevista-con-aurora-2/
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 https://www.nme.com/news/music/aurora-debuts-the-secret-garden-and-tells-us-about-new-album-progress-2744531
24. ↑ https://www.ba.no/aurora-har-dodsangst-og-sover-darlig-skal-spille-inn-album-pa-hemmelig-sted/s/5-8-1364689
25. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX1gQQyAm68&t=547s
26. ↑ https://www.nrk.no/kultur/songen-aurora-skreiv-som-11-aring-er-blant-verdas-mest-populaere-1.15474924 (translated from Norwegian)
27. ↑ https://tv.nrk.no/serie/kveldsnytt/202104/NNFA23042821/avspiller#t=7m52s
28. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rLwikp3hqU&t=268s
29. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qywmIPUOg8M&t=1445s
30. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EWlBLBJPCI&t=478s
31. ↑ https://www.tiktok.com/@iamauroramusic/video/6977742192274099461
32. ↑ https://play.umusic.com/aurorarunner
33. ↑ https://www.bt.no/kultur/i/Ep0bdj/tanken-paa-at-noen-vil-kurere-homofili-fikk-aurora-til-aa-skrive-laat
34. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/ojjh52/hello\_my\_warriors\_it\_is\_aurora\_here\_meeep/h525zlz/?context=3
35. ↑ https://tv.nrk.no/serie/dagsrevyen/202109/NNFA19090621#t=1914s
36. ↑ https://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/2021/09/09/vi-ma-tviholde-pa-hver-seier-pa-alt-vi-har-fatt-til-ellers-kan-det-forsvinne-igjen-jeg-haper-alle-stemmer/
37. ↑ https://www.ba.no/den-nye-aurora-platen-kommer-i-januar/s/5-8-1696960
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 https://digital.umusic.com/auroraquiz
39. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/\*/music/The-Gods-We-Can-Touch-Artemis-Vinyl/78Z01JML000
40. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/\*/music/The-Gods-We-Can-Touch-Oizys-Vinyl-Cover/79QA1JML000
41. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/\*/\*/The-Gods-We-Can-Touch-Eros-Vinyl/7AKU0000000
42. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/\*/\*/The-Gods-We-Can-Touch-Eros-Cassette/7AKR0000000
43. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYW7W9cL5WC/
44. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYW7W-kpBt8/
45. ↑ https://aurora.lnk.to/ADT1
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 https://www.majesticdetroit.com/event/11303325/AURORA+Presents+The+Gods+We+Can+Touch+Tour/
47. ↑ https://www.universal-music.co.jp/aurora/products/uico-1323/
48. ↑ https://www.universal-music.co.jp/aurora/products/uico-1326/
49. ↑ https://www.juno.co.uk/products/aurora-gods-we-can-touch-japanese-special/920509-01/
50. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/products/aurora-store-exclusive-the-gods-we-can-touch-book-clear-and-gold-splatter-2lp-vinyl
51. ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/3fIcUTL0XOqnvHIdDa3TY2
52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 https://www.universalmusic.it/popular-music/album/the-gods-we-can-touch\_34541412826/
53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYcvHMNqGJ/
54. ↑ https://shop.aurora-music.com/collections/tgwct
55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 https://www.facebook.com/groups/602700156987932/posts/1385817812009492
56. ↑ File:The Gods We Can Touch Book Songs.jpg
57. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA52RlxqM\_4&t=529s
58. ↑ https://www.xinliphotography.com/covers
59. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CYjdpdStdnv/
60. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CVxXFJENSk\_/
61. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej0eA-Fp-p8
62. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CKgqkFMlZhU/
63. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO1QTzF1uUc&t=390s
64. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CXG9zsDLp-e/
65. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inAm5PiBvZc&t=823s
66. ↑ https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/aurora-the-woman-i-am/ (a Universal Music affiliate)
67. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CdyTF7-Ni9I/
68. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CewGCTSLLd\_/
69. ↑ File:Screenshot 2020-02-18 🐺AURORA🐺 ( auroramusic) • Instagram photos and videos.png