Aurorawave isn’t easing into anything. Just over a year after their explosive debut, Nathan Aurora is back with Monument—an album that dials up the distortion, kicks down genre walls, and proves that heavy and heartfelt aren’t mutually exclusive.
If the first record hinted at how far this project could stretch, Monument shows what happens when the leash comes off. It’s a darker, heavier evolution—less reggae bounce, more molten riffage—but it still pulses with the fearless fusion that makes Aurorawave such a compelling force in the reggae-adjacent world. This isn’t a band experimenting—it’s a band committing.
Tracks like “WAVE SH*T” charge out the gate with unrelenting intensity, while “Tibetan Sky Burial” (featuring Emmure’s Frankie Palmeri) stands out for its sheer emotional weight—both sonically and thematically. Still, the reggae roots aren’t lost. “Seize The Day,” featuring The Movement, and “Suffocate,” with Kumar Fyah, bring smoother, more melodic energy that taps back into the vibe fans loved on the debut.
Feature Flex
If there’s one thing Aurorawave doesn’t shy away from, it’s collaboration. Monument is stacked with features that don’t just fill space—they stretch the sound in bold directions.
Aaron Gillespie (Underoath) helps crack the album open with “Judge Me,” layering in an emotionally raw, post-hardcore edge. Frankie Palmeri (Emmure) takes “Tibetan Sky Burial” to another level with a fierce vocal feature that matches the track’s devastating tone. On “Never Gonna Stop Us,” Ekoh fires off rapid bars that bring hip-hop urgency to the chaos. And the absolutely crushing “Welcome to Your Nightmare,” featuring Left to Suffer, might be the album’s most savage moment—pure metal mayhem from start to finish.
READ MORE: Aurorawave Unleash Heavy-Hitting Single ‘Judge Me,’ Featuring Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie
But it’s not all distortion and destruction. Jesse Royal adds cool fire to “Throwing Shade,” Kumar Fyah brings smooth urgency to “Suffocate,” and The Movement delivers balance on “Seize The Day,” offering a breath of reggae calm amid the storm.
Aurorawave’s features aren’t filler—they shift the energy, sharpen the edges, and push the sound forward, bringing layers and textures that deepen the album’s impact.
Final Thoughts: A Heavy Step Forward
With Monument, Aurorawave proves that evolution doesn’t mean losing your identity. This album is heavier, louder, and more aggressive than their debut—but it still feels unmistakably like Aurorawave. Nathan Aurora’s ability to write, produce, and release an album of this scale so quickly is impressive on its own, but the real win is how alive and deliberate it all feels.
Aurorawave isn’t straddling genres anymore—they’re building their own from the ground up.
