Following the release of the highly anticipated show, Daisy Jones and The Six, based on the bestseller by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Amazon Prime also released the fictional band’s debut album: AURORA. 

Released under Ellmar records, Aurora attempts to encapsulate the gritty 70s sound loosely similar to Fleetwood Mac’s sound. However, out of the album’s 11 tracks, the successes in capturing the sound of the 70s are seen with the tracks “Let Me Down Easy,” “Kill You To Try,” “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb),” “Regret Me,” “The River,” and the album’s title track, “Aurora.” Many of the songs consist of great production, but the lyricism feels awkward, such as in “Regret Me,” Keough’s character Daisy is burdened with the line, “Go ahead and regret me / But I’m beating you to it, dude.” While the rest of the song feels more lyrically complex, this line clutters up the song and feels weirdly modern in a song supposedly from the 70s. The overall production of the album, while it is great and brings Jenkins Reid’s book to life, the distinctive grit and static from 70s production is lost, and the Fleetwood Mac vibe that this album tried to capture is fleeting. 

One of the best aspects of this album is its storytelling of Daisy and Billy’s relationship, who are played by Riley Keough and Sam Claflin respectively. “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” and “No Words” are some of the most intimate tracks on the album, going over how trying Daisy and Billy’s relationship is and how Billy can’t commit to Daisy due to his marriage with Camila, and how Daisy’s nature is too difficult to be interested in anyone that isn’t similar to herself, something that is highlighted in “More Fun To Miss.” The tension between the two is palpable, and fans of the book are able to experience Daisy and Billy’s chemistry. Overall, AURORA is a good album that while misses its mark on capturing Fleetwood Mac’s influence, highlights the chemistry between Daisy and Billy, and we recommend you give it a listen!