The metamorphosis of gifted folk singer/songwriter Celia Pavey into the electro pop powerhouse Vera Blue has been as visually electrifying as it has musically scintillating.
It began with the release of the critically lauded EP “Fingertips” and its achingly ethereal breakthrough platinum single “Hold”. Musically, the track fuses Pavey’s raw lyrical insights and captivating vocals with elegant, hypnotic electronica.
The rapturously received debut album “Perennial” came next; along with that dance-inducing, double platinum single “Regular Touch” - and its far more cinematic visual direction. The album saw Vera Blue play 5 completely sold out Australian tours, European/UK and USA dates, and multiple festivals including Lollapalooza and Splendour in the Grass.
The blinding success of “Perennial” was followed by the globally penetrating Flume collab “Rushing Back” (#2 on Triple J’s Hottest 100); and a handful of chart topping post album singles. The breezily melodic “All The Pretty Girls” scales down the electronica and turns up the folk-pop; while singles “The Way That You Love Me” and “Lie To Me” showed the start of the next exhilarating chapter in the Vera Blue Odyssey.
Now comes “Temper”, Pavey’s ecstatic, glorious first single of 2021. Hot-headed in all the best ways, it’s an anthem of defiance that translates the turbulence of new love into driving, 80s-inspired pop. “I don't know whether it's made up, but people always say redheads are a bit fiery, and that we have a bit of a short fuse,” Pavey says. “This song's about grabbing hold of that emotion and trying to suppress it so you don't scare your partner away. It makes me dance, but it's also got that emotional edge.”
“Temper” is an encapsulation of Vera Blue to this point: a song that pushes a multi-platinum, ARIA nominated and APRA award-winning songwriter into an entirely new, and totally thrilling, realm. It’s a study in contrasts that feels satisfyingly holistic, and is a strong bellwether for just how far the Vera Blue universe can expand. Sparkling and invigoratingly hot-blooded, it might be Pavey’s most clarified statement to date: “It feels fresh, fun and relatable, and I hope everyone likes it as much as I do!”