After recently being nominated for ‘Best Alternative Artist’ at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards, Vera Ellen has released her first new music in over a year! It comes in the audio-visual form of the instant classic ‘Homewrecker’, out today on Flying Nun Records.
Watch/Listen To ‘Homewrecker’ Here
Says Vera Ellen of the single, “Homewrecker is the personification of my inner demon forcing its way in to create chaos where it senses harmony. I’m my own home wrecker. Ain’t we all?”
The video, directed by Albert River, and made with the support of NZ on Air, is a cheeky tip-of-the-hat to “The King of Cool” Dean Martin, and his 1983 ‘Since I Met You Baby’ video. The high-contrast visuals see Vera cheerfully crooning amongst a cast of gorgeous models, despite the bleak and introspective undertones of the song’s lyrics.
Continues Ellen, “I didn’t realise it was my dream to dress as Dean Martin and prance about on a roof until a few months ago. Never give up on even your most current dreams!”
Taite Award and Aotearoa Music Award nominated artist Vera Ellen was born and raised in Naenae in Te Whanganui-A-Tara/Wellington. She spent her younger years playing and writing music, her first song written at age 8 or 9. Whilst living in Aotearoa, she played in bands such as grunge 4-piece Maple Syrup and Sweater. Vera relocated to Los Angeles, where she started the band Girl Friday, whose music debuted on indie giant Sub Pop’s sub-label, Hardly Art. In early 2020, Vera moved back to Aotearoa during the pandemic, leading to her finishing her solo album, It’s Your Birthday — released on Flying Nun Records in October 2021.
Vera Ellen is an expert when it comes to clear and concise songwriting; every note and beat is exactly the required dose. Her 2021 album, It’s Your Birthday, is stacked full of hooked-to-the-brim melodies and cleverly guided by Vera’s clear, confident and relaxed vocal presence. The album was written over the space of a few years. Crafting post-punk and noise elements into something slightly sweeter, the album chronicles the highs and lows of Vera’s early twenties. Each song hits some kind of unforgettable, yet relatable, touchstone in Vera’s life.
Vera has had multiple tracks featured in the NZ Official Alt Charts, with the first album single, ‘YOU!’ peaking at #2, and also listed as ‘One To Watch’ by the same Official NZ Charts body. Upon release, the album reached #15 on the Official NZ Top 20 Album Charts. When Vera is in New Zealand, she makes great use of her time — last year opening for the likes of Don McGlashan, Reb Fountain and joining the lineup for three sold-out shows with indie darlings, The Beths. Internationally, the album reached as far as France and the UK, with a write-up in France’s national newspaper Le Monde, and a feature in Loud & Quiet Magazine.
