Taurian has kept the nickname he was given by his girlfriend while studying for a degree in sound engineering at The School Of Sound Recording in Manchester, in honour of his star sign.

“Being Taurus means you have single-mindedness and the ability to really focus on something,” says Taurian. “We don’t give up on something until we’ve achieved it.”

That’s certainly been the case for Taurian, ever since he came to England from his home “between two mountains” in Romania, where he grew up on the music his Rammstein-loving father introduced him to while working as a hard rock DJ at a radio station. He relished the multi-cultural, cosmopolitan nature of life in Manchester, as well as the diversity of its music scene.

“I learned my guitar chops to Pantera, and The Doors is music perfect for the mountains back in Romania,” he explains of the music which has shaped him as an artist. “Going through depression as a teenager, it was important to have music which spoke to me. From extreme metal, it’s been grunge, progressive bands, jazz and everything in between, before I discovered trip-hop and dance music in Manchester.”

Taurian is an album born from break-ups - from his girlfriend and from hard rock band The Night Suns, who he played guitar and sung for, who split just as they were getting established on the live circuit.

If an album about recovering from heartache doesn’t sound a recipe for optimism, don’t be fooled. There’s as much beauty as bleakness here.

It took emotional trauma and the grandeur of great art to get here, but there’s little doubt Taurian is an album that will establish its maker as a compelling musician, capable of creating anything. His success is written in the stars.