From the opening echoey seconds of The Auras Islands in the Sea, a descending, acid-soaked guitar riff you are taken to their far away soundscape, a mirage in a kaleidoscope dream. All sparkly bliss.

At points the band’s sonics hit space age, before veering back down to earth with a krautrock thump, perfectly timed and cloaked in echoey layers. Motorik drums and bass form a solid structure while guitar and synth develop more liquid surfaces around it. These freer elements invite the listener into this sonic construction to explore its well designed details. 

Treading the boards worn down by the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Asteroid #4, The Auras follow a prestigious pedigree. Avoiding parody they embody the essence of their influences and metabolise them with a distinctive flair that sets them apart.

As part of a nascent scene they are part of a psych collective, formed by The Auras, Sounds Around and Deep Space Cowboys, each one borrowing members from one another. Having supported the likes of Ride,Ringo Deathstarr and Temple The Auras’ impressive résumé speaks for itself. Currently working on new material the six piece are not waiting around for things to happen, they push forward with verve.

Alex James Taylor: Talk me through how you all first met
Hank Van Harten: Most of us have known each other since high school, Dallas, Aaron and Peter were jamming since back then, the rest of us joined up later on. Hank and Robb met at an open mic jam.

AJT: Can you break down the line up for us?
HVH: We’ve got Aaron on drums, we got Robb on hollow body guitar, we got Peter playing the jazz master, we got Dallas playing the 12 string, we’ve got Hank on the bass, and we’ve got David playing keys. We all sing.

AJT: How long have you been The Auras for?
HVH: We’ve had this line up for almost 6 years, but the whole idea for this band has been around for a few years before that.

AJT: Were you all in other bands previous to this?
HVH: We’ve all been jamming around with friends, mostly just jamming for fun, so not really any other bands, no. Just a lot of playing music. we started this band when we were 19 so there wasn’t really a window for us to have any serious bands before The Auras.

AJT: You have a collective with other bands, Sounds Around, Deep Space Cowboys. Can you tell me a bit more about that?
HVH: Usually if the side projects play a show, the band is made up of members of The Auras. Different expressions of the group. Sounds Around is more like anything goes, sometimes psychedelic world music, sometimes acoustic singer songwriter stuff. Deep Space Cowboys is a lot heavier and noisier.

AJT: You teamed up with Tess Parks for your latest release, how did you guys first meet?
HVH: She came to see us one night at the Cameron house a few years back. She posted up some pictures of us on her blog and we ended up playing some shows together. Then we made the last ep together. We were able to get a couple new jams written before she left for the tour, so we’re stoked about that. We really clicked playing as a group, it felt natural. Wholesome

AJT: So I’m guessing there’s a pretty tight knit scene in Toronto, how is the Canadian music scene looking in general?
HVH: There’s definitely a lot going on over here. The psych scene here is full of awesome bands, Planet Creature, Saffron Sect, B-17, BB Guns, Sunshine and the Blue Moon, Mimico, Walrus, Mexican Slang, Tess Parks, Sun Stone Revolvers, Crosss  etc., We have had some really awesome guidance from people who know a lot more than us, like Jose Contreras, Ryan Masters, Rishi Dhir and Brendan Canning. We are really into the scene in Quebec, every time we go there it is amazing. It’s nice that all these epic people in the Canadian Music scene have believed in us and helped us out.

AJT: I saw that you opened for Ride the other day, that must have been amazing… How was it playing with those guys?
HVH: Very life-affirming and uplifting. It was a really great atmosphere all around and we’d love to do it again.

AJT: If you could tour with any band who would it be?
HVH: We’ve played with a lot of our favourite bands, and we don’t really know who our choice would be to tour with. Lets just say it would be great to tour with Ringo Deathstarr, Spindrift, Ride, Elephant Stone, Temples, The High Dials or any of the other bands who we have shared a stage with, we are really grateful to be able to play with a lot of bands we have listened to for years and years.

AJT: What’s currently on The Auras record player?
HVH: There are six people in the band so its hard to say. Lets say its a cross section between The Rolling Stones, A Place to Bury Strangers, Ringo Deathstarr, Spectrum, Death Grips, Aphex Twin, Cocorosie, The Asteroid #4, and all our new tracks we have to listen to over and over again.

AJT: You have a few EPs out at the moment. Is an album in the works anytime soon?
HVH: We’ve definitely got lots of new stuff on the way, cha cha boom!

AJT: Any plans for a tour outside of Canada soon?
HVH: We’re working on it as we speak, shoot us a message if you’re into it!

Follow The Auras on Facebook and on their Bandcamp