Norwegian-born, London based artist Anna Lena Bruland, also know as EERA, is navigating around the tricky 20s which in Norwegian society is, “The years when you’re supposed to figure everything out.” She does this through her debut album, Reflections of Youth, which is an unpolished, raw but nevertheless interesting, experimental album brimming with ideas but just lacking in energy and propulsion to create a more complete album.

Recorded in a dairy farm in West Wales and producer Nick Rayner’s Cork home, it’s an incredibly diverse album that EERA puts down to not entirely finding her sound yet. This is visible almost instantly with album opener and third single, ‘Living’, which is an eerie, indie-rock song in the vein of Interpol or earlier Radiohead, while ‘Beast’ is more in line with one of EERA’s biggest influences, PJ Harvey.

Lead single ‘Christine’, which is about EERA’s sister and their relationship, slows things down. Sounding like an album cut from St Vincent’s Strange Mercy, it sees EERA manipulate her voice, giving her almost a 1950s radio-style vintage sound, while the lyrics are about encouragement and staying strong before fizzling out practically into the ether. It’s a strange song but, in terms of finding her ultimate sound, this is the closest song on the album that sounds unique and singular. Ironically, this is followed by second single ‘I Wanna Dance’, which is the most generic song on the album. Written as a very “straight-to-the-point” song, it’s about the abstract aspects of life (love and feeling free), it contains a very simple riff running throughout with EERA’s voice sounding dark and ominous. It’s an okay rock song but, even from the three songs that came before, EERA can do better.

The outstanding facet to EERA’s prowess is her multi-talented vocal range. This is on display none more so than the middle stretch of the album. On ‘Survived’ she has the earnest elegance of an artist like Sharon Van Etten, whereas on ‘10,000 Voices’ she displays a slower, gloomier warble, which matches the gloomiest warbler, Lana Del Rey. As an artist, EERA is almost like a mirror: she reflects what she’s been listening to, but she has the authentic talent to be more than just a tribute act.

Reflections of Youth is an album that changes on the flip of a dime. The second half of the album sees EERA explore and experiment more with synths. ‘Trust’ has more in common with the likes of Lorde and Sigrid than the album’s earlier Queens of the Stone Age vibe, while ‘Wise Man’ is a slow-building, gradual pop song that builds to an excellent crescendo with loud, crashing guitars and a cult-like chorus. It has to be said, the second half of the album is where Reflections of Youth really shines. EERA’s use of dark, moody synths undercut with her gorgeous voice is reminiscent of the likes of PJ Harvey and Portishead.

EERA sounds like an artist that’s still not quite to grips with what sort of album she wants to make. She’s clearly a very good artist with excellent ideas but, on the whole, Reflections of Youth feels a bit erratic and mercurial. It has its moments – like the fantastic ‘Christine’, the Nick Cave-esque titular song and ‘10,000 Voices’ – but for every moment there’s a meandering indie-rock song to break up the momentum.

Liam McMillen

Website: eera.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/eeramusic
Twitter: twitter.com/EERAmusic