Dreamy London/Sydney duo Au.Ra feature multi-instrumentalists Tom Crandles and Tim Jenkins, fixtures of Australia's indie rock scene in the early 2010s. Previously, Jenkins was a member of Parades, while Crandles played with Ghostwood; as those projects came to an end, the pair began making music together, improvising over loops and drones that were a far cry from the strummy indie they'd played before. The first fruits of their labor appeared in 2012 with the release of the "Sun" single that December; over the course of the next two years, Au.Ra pieced together the songs that would become their debut album, Jane's Lament. After the release of singles including "Spare the Thought" and "Talk Show," the album arrived in March 2015. For their follow-up, Crandles and Jenkins took inspiration from dub, synth-pop and the work of David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The results, Cultivations, arrived on Felte in June 2017. ~ Heather Phares