Au5 Brings Emotional Journey to Ophelia Records with Debut Label LP ‘Bridges Between’

Genre-melding American producer Au5 has mixed moving lyrics with astonishing sound design on his sixth studio album.

Inventive multi-genre producer Au5 (Austin Collins) has released his sixth studio album, ‘Bridges Between,’ his first full-length release on Seven Lions’s Ophelia Records. Collins carries over his distinctive sound from his previous releases on labels like Monstercat, Wakaan, Armada, and Enhanced since he began the Au5 project in 2010. A number of collaborators are featured on the new 10-song album, including Ophelia regulars Crystal Skies and Tyler Graves as well as up-and-comers like Cyazon and DNAKM. 

Best known for his creative combinations of sounds and elements from a variety of genres, Collins does not disappoint on ‘Bridges Between.’ The opening track, “Entrance,” jumps right in with a mysterious yet uplifting trance that transforms into hard-hitting dubstep with an acidy twist. Unusual instruments from outside electronic music give the album even more unique flavor, including organ on the menacing “Resurrection” and violin and electric guitar on “Future Without You” featuring EMME.

Thematically, the album explores the diverse array of feelings that come following loss in the effort to move on. “Waiting” and “Before You Leave” express a desperate and perhaps delusional hope that lost love can return or be saved, while “What You’ve Done” touches on disillusionment and subsequent heartache. The lasting sentiment, embodied in the final two songs “Paradise” and “Escape” as well as the title track “Bridges,” is finally leaving the past behind and looking to the future with genuine positivity.

“The songs bridge between the stages of connection, denial, despair, grief, hope, and eventually acceptance,” Collins says of the album. “The title also refers to the bridges between the external world and our internal world, the process of reconnecting with ourselves after the loss of someone or something important to us. The cover art depicts a bridge or path over water (which represents traversing emotions) connecting the outer environment with a planet or world within (which represents our inner sanctity and peace).”

Tickets are on sale now for Au5’s ‘Bridges Between’ tour, with three stops in Asia and eleven stops in the United States. Check out the new album below.