EERA

'EERA hits Hollywood highs on psychedelic dream-pop album "I'll stop when I'm done".' LoudWomen'Indie- pop artist EERA returns with an eclectic thoughtful new album on "I'll stop when I'm done".'Mix it all up'From start to finish "I'll stop when I'm done" fits together perfectly, a rich, lush record that hazilypulls doleful folk, warm strings, shimmying, stripped-down indie- rock, electronic-tingedorchestral pop and harmonised hymnals into its orbit over ten tracks that never outstay theirwelcome. 'The New Cue'Everything about this album is gentle perfection.' Joyzine'Starkly beautiful... bewitching stuff 8/10. 'Uncut I'll stop when I'm done is the third album, and first research-led body of work, from EERA, theBerlin-based Norwegian artist Anna Lena Kristen, produced by Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear). Thealbum is inspired by the famous Marilyn Monroe quote: "I don't stop when I'm tired, I only stopwhen I'm done" and interweaves intimate reflections on what it means to be a modern womanwith researched insights into the lives of the starlets from Hollywood's Golden Age. What emergesis a studied celebration of the female experience, in all its complexity, strength and vulnerability.The Monroe quote sparked EERA's interest and led her to view old back-and-white films, thenundertake a deeper dive into the lives the starlets she encountered there and the women of thatera they portrayed on screen. From Shirley Maclaine in 'The Apartment' to Marilyn Monroe in'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', the artist felt drawn to these icons and began researching their workand lives. "It felt as though I was having this conversation with these women - in a dialogue thatmade me realise a lot about myself" she explains.On the album's first single 'Forget her' (May 2025) as premiered by Lauren Laverne (6 Music) wesee personal introspection from EERA. It is a candid look at the artist's internal battle with anxiety"I used to have quite a lot of anxiety before, and back then I always wanted to remove myselffrom 'her'" she explains. "It wasn't until I accepted 'her' that I was able to move past it andtherefore become a lot happier. She will always be a part of me, and that is fine. I amjust not going to allow her to take over completely." In a similar vein of looking inwards, thealbum's opening track 'Celebrate' relates to "that feeling of having to do all the things -something I feel carries a very female pressure", and 'Talking' digs deeper "into looking at whatlove means, what relationships mean and how we experience it all differently." Looking through aglass darkly, EERA twists the lens outwards to our collective experience of love and connection.On 'Honey, do you see me?' we get an insight into the research EERA undertook on this record,it is heavily inspired by the dialogue from the 60's film 'The Apartment'. "I was fascinated by thefact that the main character (intelligent and beautiful woman) is madly in love with a man who hasa wife and also the boss of a big company. It affected her self- confidence with this man playingwith her feelings, promising her the world etc." explains EERA "I wanted to write a song from herside of the story, but also exaggerate these type of feelings in the song; where you almost feel abit 'mad'. The desperation of trying to be loved by someone who doesn't want to be with you, andhow that takes over your self-worth."The album's title track, 'I'll stop when I'm done', is a magnetic electronic tinged 'pop' track witha glistening haze and the seductive breathy refrain "I'm just trying to find someone to love". It'sindicative of the forthcoming album as whole which sees EERA blur the lines between herformative PJ Harvey influences and more recent ones in the bewitching psychedelic dream-pop ofBroadcast. On this EERA deep dives into the psyche of Monroe. "I wanted to write a song fromher perspective" explains EERA. "That she wants to be in the spotlight, but that she has to proveherself over and over to everyone around her. I wanted to focus on her vulnerability as well byadding the sentence "I just want to find someone to love" (which is also one of her quotes). I feelthat this is all she wanted deep down (beyond success). She wanted someone to love her nomatter what. Someone that will always be by her side.""She never got that. Not even from her mum who struggled with a mental illness. So, in this songI'm showing two sides, the spotlight mixed with the vulnerability."'I'll stop when I'm down' begins with illusions of grandeur and, by the end breaks down into thelyric: 'I just want to find someone to love'. "It's telling yourself that you want one thing, then askingyourself: is it, really?" says EERA. Here, the concept of a female muse is neither passive norimpenetrable. EERA frames her desires and vulnerability, which feel both achingly human and partof the rich, messy tapestry of womanhood."Overall, I wanted to address the pressure I feel as a woman, but also an artist" expands EERA. "Ilinked some of my emotions with old movie stars from the 50s and 60s, like Marilyn Monroe, andAudrey Hepburn. I enjoyed doing research about them, and with doing that I saw just how muchcriticism they endured even though they were highly successful.""A lot of them though still had one focus: to find true love and to find true happiness withinthemselves. I find this contrast very interesting; that even with major success people are stillsearching for what truly matters to them." I'll stop when I'm done carries a decidedly softer and more subdued sound, punctuated bywarm percussion and upbeat intervals. Production is from Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) with thealbum recorded between Berlin and Barcelona, with the album's lyrics captured as EERA sangeach song softly from a sofa "which made everything feel more relaxed and personal. As women,we have to be brave and loud and do a million things just to be heard. I feel that makes quite acontrast on the album."