PHOTO CREDIT: NICOLA SANDFORD

“...there haven’t been many more singularly exciting singer-songwriters to emerge from these shores in several years.” — Rolling Stone Magazine NZ/AUS 

"Totally in-keeping with her label Flying Nun’s famous output" - Loud & Quiet Magazine

Named ‘Best Alternative Artist’ at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards, Wellington-based Vera Ellen is a rising star in Aotearoa's indie-rockscape, releasing her second album with Flying Nun Records, Ideal Home Noise, in March 2023 to wide critical acclaim. 

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.

Vera Ellen is an expert when it comes to concise songwriting; every note and beat is exactly the required dose. Her albums are full of hooked-to-the-brim melodies, and guided by Vera’s clear, confident, and relaxed vocal presence.  

Vera Ellen’s first album with Flying Nun Records, It’s Your Birthday, came out October 8th, 2021 on orange vinyl, CD and digitally. This 2021 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 an unforgettable, yet relatable, touch stone in Vera’s life.