Aporia

Aporia is an album by American musician Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather, Lowell Brams. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 24, 2020 with a live preview held on YouTube on March 23, 2020. Background The album was inspired by new-age music, with Stevens citing Enya and Boards of Canada as major influences, as well as the soundtracks for the films Blade Runner, Under the Skin, and Hereditary. Stevens explained that the album marks the retirement of his stepfather and business partner Lowell Brams, with whom he founded the label Asthmatic Kitty, saying that it "tells a bigger story of stewardship and mentorship. He's been there since I was five. [...] This record is a synthesis of all of that history." The album was initially slated for release on March 27, 2020, but the duo pushed up the release to March 24 due to growing concerns over record stores shutting down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recording Stevens and Brams worked on the album during Brams' visits to Stevens' home in New York. Stevens stated that the album primarily came about as a result of jam sessions: "You know how it is with jamming, ninety percent of it is absolutely horrible, but if you're just lucky enough, ten percent is magic. I just kept pulling out these little magical moments." He and Brams then took the best parts of their jam sessions and arranged them into songs.