Born in Norway with music in her blood, Anna Lena Bruland never considered pursuing anything but singing. Having relocated to London, under the moniker of EERA the artist began to release under the homegrown label Ninja Tune.

With a successful run since 2015, EERA has been holding us in eager anticipation for a full-length project. Last week, the artist finally released her debut album Reflection Of Youth comprised of ten tracks, including singles I Wanna Dance and Christine.

With the backing of Big Dada (home to the likes of Sampha The Great, Roots Manuva, Wiley), the release spans themes of ‘financial, romantic, and existential pressures,’ sonically referencing names such as Portishead, Deerhoof, Elliot Smith, and Jeff Buckley.

The album was recorded in a studio on a dairy farm in rural Wales and Ireland. Needless to say, the rustic settings filter into the lyricism and production of the album, adding a tone of blistering honesty. Christine, a track about courage, advice and family, lies at album’s emotional core, enabling us step into EERA’s world and learn about her relationship with her sister.

Here, the musician lines up the influences behind the record.

MUSIC

Deerhoof:
“When I was around eighteen a friend of mine gave me Deerhoof’s Offend Maggie. I was blown away by all the different sounds within the record, and how the songs move and change all the time. I’d never heard anything like it and since then I’ve been obsessed with them.”

PJ Harvey:
“I’ve always been a huge PJ fan. I don’t quite remember when or how I came across her really, she’s just always been part of my musical journey. But I remember I listened to White Chalk on endless repeat. And I think This is Love is one of the best songs ever written. It’s so straight to the point and extremely powerful.”

FILM

“I saw Carnage the other day, it’s a black comedy drama directed by Roman Polanski. It’s a simple story line with two married couples having a meeting after their sons got into a fight. The entire film is happening inside one of the couple’s apartments and the characters show their true colours more and more towards the end. It’s just a brilliant film.”

ART

“My art is fashion. I loved the Dior FW13 show, the way Raf Simons presented the runway with flowers up all of the walls was so stunning. For that runway I loved the presentation more then the actual clothes though. However, I loved the latest Versace runway; SS18. The outfits are absolutely stunning!!

And the very obvious one; Gucci FW17.”

EXPERIENCE

“Maybe my first ever “gig” experience. I recorded my first EP with my mate when I was around fifteen years old at his tiny bedroom studio. I used a photo that my sister took of me for the cover and I asked the local graphic designer to put together the rest. Looking back at the design now, I laugh so much. It’s pretty terrible.

I arranged a launch at one of the coffee shops/bars in the town centre, and I remember that I got so excited since I sold out the space (40 tickets, haha!), and I sold tons of EPs. I remember feeling extremely happy during the whole gig, and thinking that I’d “made it”, ha!”

EERA’s Reflection Of Youth is available now via Ninja Tune. You can catch the artist at East London’s Rough Trade on 18th November 2017.