PITCHFORK

"she shows off the full range of her vocals, swerving easily from howling cowboy croons to baroque coos... a poignant album" [read more]

NPR ALL SONGS CONSIDERED

"Aisha Burns' 'Must Be A Way' Will Break And Fill Your Heart..." [read more]

STEREOGUM

"We Were Worn” is Argonauta’s opener and it rises dramatically. At first, it’s almost only Burns’ plaintive vocal and guitar, before drums crash in and her backing vocals haunt the edges of the composition...and fittingly sounds like a conjuring and an exorcism all at once."[read more]

BANDCAMP

"Argonauta takes her vocal prowess to a new level—more confident and operatic. She evokes Thom Yorke’s plaintive cry on standout tracks like “I Thought I Knew You Well” and “Would You Come To Me”; occasionally, she delivers the album’s most poignant messages with an air of almost stately detachment, bringing to mind the German cult singer Nico, acting as a foil for the rich string arrangements, equally cinematic and mournful..." [read more]

BUST MAGAZINE
★★★★★

"...enthralling...The singer/songwriter/violinist’s voice—reminiscent of Jarboe (Swans), Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and Rykarda Parasol—has a mournful, ethereal range of contralto mixed with a haunting background soprano...Tracks like “We Were Worn,” “If I,” and “Leavin’” brilliantly express that amidst great sorrow and despair, something hopeful and positive is possible. " [read more]

TEXAS MONTHLY

"...Argonauta is a stunning composition that builds and expands on Life in the Midwater. Simple constructions, primarily built around six-strings, are bolstered by layers of crying electric guitar and strings—stoic and powerful in their longing—that allow her voice to shine." [read the full feature]

THE SKINNY
★★★★

"The title track burns with a suffocating kind of loneliness...and Burns’ expansive voice rolls through a gentle meditation on grief and joy." [read more]

NPR WEEKEND EDITION

Listen to Aisha's chat with Scott Simon about the inspiration for Argonauta.

ALL MUSIC
★★★½

"Burns' deep-toned but lilting voice brings a warm intensity of its own to the track, as does an arrangement that opens with simple, strummed folk guitar, adding subtle vibraphone and vocal harmony before it swells with strings and a choral-type voices. The more rustic "If I" features fiddle and twangy guitar, while the closer, "Where Do I Begin," has a more fortified sound built on electric guitar, bass, and drums. Still haunting, and echoing with reverb and rumination like the rest, it invites a visitor in and ponders the future." [Read More]

THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE
★★★½

"Expansive Americana...rich guitar strums and longing violin buttress Burns' world-weary and transformative voice. Sprawling with gentle lamentations, ethereal timbres, and stringed instrumentation, both the song and sophomore album Argonauta expand upon her 2013 debut Life in the Midwater." [Read More]

ALLSTON PUDDING

"Aisha is in the process of touring her current record and audiences are beyond excited to hear this fresh set of stirring tracks live. The immense care and time that has gone into Argonauta can be felt in every syllable and guitar strum. This is a record that’ll stay on your mind through the remainder of 2018 and beyond." [read more]

BUST MAGAZINE

 "She sang in secret for years, which you’ll realize is a total crime when you listen to “Sold.” The minimalist track showcases Burns’ classical training, eerily gorgeous voice, and her affinity for just plain sad songs...Haunting in the vein of Glasser’s Cameron Mesirow but with the Americana roots of Gillian Welch, Burns crafts a dreamy musical style of her own dripping with beautifully intricate arrangements" [read more]

NPR WORLD CAFE

 "Aisha Burns is best known as the violinist in the chamber-folk band Balmorhea. But in the last few years, Burns has left her comfort zone to write her own songs and play them on guitar. On her debut album, Life in the Midwater, there's a delicate intimacy to her approach." [read more]

AMERICAN SONGWRITER

"Burns’ haunting vocal gives the song a dark, surreal feeling, befitting of a drift through the ocean or an endless float through space." [read more] 

TRIBEZA MAGAZINE

"The violinist in the local instrumental ensemble Balmorhea, Burns stepped out on her own this year to release “Life in the Midwater,” a nuanced and delicately-powerful folk album..." [read more] 
*named among 10 people to watch in the new year*

KUTX 98.9 AUSTIN MUSIC MINUTE

"...anyone lucky enough to hear her beautiful singing voice would come to the same conclusion: Don’t keep it a secret any longer...Burns is releasing her first solo effort, Life in the Midwater, a deep reflection upon reemerging from life’s most trying moments, from crippling self-doubt to failing romances, with greater strength and wisdom. There’s no other way to put it; Burns’ voice is stunning." [read more] 

AUSTIN CHRONICLE
★★★½

"Standouts 'Shelly' and 'Destroyer' become lush and rich with layers, featuring Andrew Bird-worthy violin pulls, yet amid the sweeping flurry, the singer's vocal lament remains the most gripping element...Aisha Burns has successfully mapped a musical identity separate from Balmorhea, even if it's caught in the midwater." [read more]

DAZED MAGAZINE

" A is for Aisha Burns.  Where they used to lay the foundation for other instruments, Aisha Burn’s slow-burn violin and viola  parts now serve as a launching pad for her haunting voice...her first solo album Life in the Midwater, is one of the most arresting recent releases the city has seen."

GHETTO BLASTER

"Years of 'secret singing' occurred before she began recording Life In The Midwater and hers is a voice that should not, under any circumstances, be kept a secret." [read more] 

AUSTIN TOWN HALL

"If you like what you hear, and we know you will, you need to hurry out to catch Aisha playing a set that will surely remind you of why she’s got one of the great voices in Austin..." [read more] 
"Life in the Midwater" ranked among Austin's top albums of 2013

POP PRESS INTERNATIONAL

"I am grateful to have been able to swing by long enough to be entranced by the lovely, honest Aisha Burns as she plucked away at her acoustic guitar (and my heartstrings), setting aside the trademark violin she plays in local band Balmorhea for these solo ventures. Through an artistry of beautifully constructed arrangements and intricate lyricism, Burns took us all under her wing. As delicate as a sigh, she strummed while we swooned..." [read more]

THE DEMIURGE

"...Aisha Burns has a smoldering voice that pierces through deafening storms and impenetrable veils of darkness...while her range and vocal control are both astonishing, Burns’ greatest feat is her ability to create passionately engaged songs with sparse arrangements. On her debut solo album Life In The Midwater, she torques this skill up to its maximum potency and unleashes some of 2013’s most memorable ruminations on a slew of earnest, human dilemmas." [read more] 

PHILADELPHIA'S DAILY LOCAL

"Burns is more than just a violinist. She has a beautiful voice, an expressive singing style and a knack for writing songs with heartfelt lyrics." [read more]

CULTURE MAP AUSTIN

"...[a] work of searing emotion and deep thought." [read more] 

OVRLD

"One listen to this timeless, stirring album and you’ll finally be in on one of the best-kept secrets in Austin...Aisha Burns lights up my headphones with her dynamic and powerful voice that seemingly stops time...the intensely intimate atmosphere and almost unnerving stillness encompassed in this collection of tracks is what makes Aisha Burns’s first solo LP, Life in the Midwater so special." [read more]