Maja Lena © Martha Webb 2022
MAJA LENA TO RELEASE SCI-FI INSPIRED SOPHOMORE ALBUM
‘PLUTO’ ON 2nd DECEMBER 2022 (VIA CHIVERIN RECORDS)
+ ANNOUNCES EXTENSIVE JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 UK HEADLINE TOUR
On her sophomore album PLUTO, Maja Lena journeys from the pastoral to the cosmic. Her increasing fascination with science fiction and the icy, electronic soundscapes of 1980s Japanese cinema and video game music, particularly that of Joe Hisaishi of Studio Ghibli have been key touchstones for this material, whereas the landscapes in 2021’s acclaimed solo debut The Keeper were inspired by mountains and valleys she’d seen in real life:
“The main theme for this album became reality vs imagination and believing stories we’ve created in our heads, as well as plutonic themes such as destruction and creation, transformation and renewal,” Maja explains. “It is set in an alternate world close to Pluto, which is the smaller planet you can see in the album artwork and it’s very much a loose interpretation of what it looked like.”
Working on a no dig permaculture vegetable growing project as well as for a natural horsemanship yard has given Maja Lena plenty of time for her imagination to run wild. “I do a lot of my songwriting whilst working outdoors, often humming melodies to myself, thinking about lyrics. I find working alone out on the land quite recharging; it can in turn give me energy for music and gigging. My love of nature and animals feeds into the sound. I like to find sounds or riffs that might conjure landscapes in my head – for this album that’s otherworldly sounds or creatures in particular.”
Immersion in the natural world has always influenced her creativity – it was a dominant force in her earlier writing for The Keeper, as well as with alt-folk outfits Low Chimes and Hot Feet.
Maja Lena recently supported FLYTE at a sold-out London Lafayette show, is currently on tour with Rachael Dadd and will then head out on her own headline tour in support of PLUTO through January & February 2023 – full list of dates as follows;
15 November Leeds Mill Hill Chapel (w/Rachael Dadd)
16 November Manchester Gullivers (w/Rachael Dadd)
17 November Birkenhead Futureyard (w/Rachael Dadd)
18 November Newcastle Cobalt Studios (w/Rachael Dadd)
20 November Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms (w/Rachael Dadd)
30 November Bristol Strangebrew (w/Rachael Dadd)
01 December London Courtyard Theatre (w/Rachael Dadd)
02 December Stroud – The Goods Shed (PLUTO album launch co-headline w/ Rachael Dadd)
NEW HEADLINE SHOWS FOR 2023
26 January Falmouth – The Cornish Bank
27 January Bristol – The Louisiana
28 January Southampton Heartbreakers
30 January Brighton – The Hope & Ruin
31 January Ramsgate Music Hall
1 February London – The Slaughtered Lamb
2 February Stroud – The Prince Albert
3 February Leeds Headrow House
4 February Newcastle Surf Cafe
5 February Edinburgh – The Voodoo Rooms
6 February Glasgow – The Hug & Pint
8 February Sheffield Sidney & Matilda
9 February Nottingham Bodega
Tickets for all above new headline dates on-sale HERE
FURTHER INFO
Maja Lena has continued working with her musical consort, producer & drummer Rob Pemberton (The Staves, Rachael Dadd), with whom she shares a creative synchronicity through years of working together, living in Stroud. She’s also joined in her live band by Alex Heane, who likewise plays bass with Rachael Dadd, as well as Willy Mason.
Continuing her collaboration with Rob Pemberton has allowed Maja Lena to feel comfortable with trying new ideas, building on these varied influences. “I started to sonically experiment more and we were both on the same page of wanting it to be more electronic, but keeping some organic instrumentation in there such as nylon guitar, clarinets and piano” explains Maja. “The demos of the tracks I initially sent to Rob were recorded on my Korg synth and nylon guitar, it was satisfying to take these sounds to a synth and keys wizard like Rob, who could develop the sounds further, and make them wackier and gnarlier.”
They recorded the new album at Rob’s home studio in Stroud, relishing the comfort of familiar surroundings from their time together in Low Chimes. Across two albums now, her creative partnership with Pemberton has been a defining experience for the pair. “It was really enjoyable and challenging in a good way” explains Maja of developing her second album. “I wrote it in a much more condensed period of time than I have done before, which was a conscious decision this time around.”
The visuals are very important too and Maja Lena paints all her own artwork for the singles and album covers. “Imagined places and stories are a big theme in the songs and things in the paintings such as the stone, the flowers, the pool of water and Pluto all feature in the album. I wanted everything to tie together visually.”
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