VERA ELLEN SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO ‘LENNY SAYS’

by the partae March 3, 2023

written by the partae March 3, 2023

Award-winning Kiwi songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vera Ellen premieres a new single ‘Lenny Says’ from her upcoming album. ‘Ideal Home Noise’ will be released on March 31 via the iconic Flying Nun Records.

“I’m 23 and I’m a bloody loser…”

Finding humour in self-loathing, Lenny Says is “a track for us whining broke losers with unattainable dreams; having a laugh and a moan at the same time.” explains Vera.

“I wrote Lenny Says to make fun of myself at rock bottom. It was actually initially for my album Beat Yr Name (2018) but I felt it was too cheesy at the time. Now, I can see the humour in it. The two verses were genuinely written three years apart — though clearly the angst did not dwindle.”

Ideal Home Noise is a record unearthed from much introspection and an attempt to find some comedy and lightness in an otherwise dark period for Vera Ellen. With two “voices” battling throughout the album, the instrumentation is sometimes light — featuring synths and electronic drums — and sometimes heavy — with ballad-like piano and raw vocals.

After the critical success of her 2021 album, It’s Your Birthday — which earned the artist both the ‘Best Alternative Artist’ award at the 2022 AMA’s as well as a 2022 Taite Award nomination — Vera’s momentum is unstoppable with her new 13 track album raring to go. “If It’s Your Birthday was about relationships and love and strife between myself and others; then Ideal Home Noise is about love and strife between myself and myself.”.

The record was tracked at Wellington studio, The Surgery, with the talented multi-instrumentalist Ben Lemi (of Trinity Roots, French For Rabbits and Dawn Diver fame) on production and engineering duties. “Ben helped bring the record to life from my initial demos in a very organic way” says Vera.

On the name of the upcoming album, Ideal Home Noise, Vera explains that she came across the phrase in a book, while house-sitting a Malibu property formerly occupied by The Beach Boys. Since then, the words have been recycled through various notebooks and phone apps, somehow remaining in the artist’s subconscious all these years later.

In a very personal statement about Ideal Home Noise, Vera Ellen has summarised “My songs have been my friends, my lovers, my enemies. I have been their biggest critic and fan and they have been mine. And as for this album, you will hear my pain up close, but you can take comfort knowing I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So here we go, to another album. One of many more (I hope).”

Ideal Home Noise is out digitally and on both red or black vinyl and CD on Friday March 31st, 2023 via Flying Nun Records.

VERA ELLEN – IDEAL HOME NOISE

Out March 31 via Flying Nun Records

PRE ORDER HERE

1. Imposter
2. Homewrecker
3. Smell of an Oily Rag
4. Carpenter
5. A Grip
6. Fake Milk
7. Cheerios
8. Feelings I Can’t Name
9. Lenny Says
10. A Person I Like
11. Prayer Ambulance
12. Broadway Junction
13. Stick Around 2 See