On 28th March 28th, award-winning guitarist and blues artist Erja Lyytinen will release her new studio album Smell the Roses.
Ahead of that, and out now is the lead single accompanied by a new music video. Elaborating on the track Lyytinen said: “The message is simple – wake up and smell the roses. There’s so much beauty in the world, so why don’t we stop and enjoy it rather than fighting and wanting more.”
The music begins with a slightly Gothic feel and when – on the accompanying video – her image first appears on screen guitar-in-hand we briefly invite some musical congregation between Placebo, Siouxsie Sioux, and Cabaret-era Liza Minelli.
Yet while the broken chords being played through indeed trigger a certain hypnotic intensity, the heavy beat pummelling underneath steers the music more towards metallic sub-arenas, albeit weaving with melody.
That it’s catchy and a number you’ll find yourself singing along to before it’s run its course makes it a winner, while six string enthusiasts need only wait two minutes 23 seconds in when she lets out a flurrying wail of notes in solo.
The single is available on all streaming platforms here while you can watch the music video here below at RAMzine.
It’s been three years since the release of Erja Lyytinen’s last solo studio album, Waiting for the Daylight. Since then, the high-flying Finn has continued to tour the globe, performing at prestigious events such as the Byron Bay Blues Festival in Australia, headlining HRH Blues at the O2 Academy in Leicester, and making her debut at the legendary Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon, to name but a few.
Throughout her career Lyytinen has appeared on many television shows in her native Finland, but in the latter stages of 2024, the artist was invited to participate in The Masked Singer on Finnish TV. As one would imagine, she was sworn to secrecy about her role on the show; even her twin boys were left guessing whether their mum was on the programme. “I got to perform on The Masked Singer in Finland, where I made it through to the finals. It was such a fantastic experience, and I always love doing TV shows. My character was Skeleton, and I got to sing cool songs like ‘Master Of Puppets’ by Metallica, ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush and ‘Hallelujah’ by Jeff Buckley. I recorded my version of the latter as a single.”
Amidst all this, at the close of 2024, the “Queen of the slide guitar” released a new live album titled 20 Years of Blues Rock! The concert recording was captured in her hometown of Helsinki, Finland during an evening that celebrated a musical milestone – that being the 20th anniversary of the release of her debut solo album Wildflower.
During what was already a sterling year, in November, Lyytinen was recognised as anAngel of Rockat the HRH Awards in Great Yarmouth following in the footsteps of legends of the genre such as Doro Pesch and Jackie Chambers from Girlschool. “It really made me very happy. Especially being a Finnish artist who started playing guitar at fifteen years old and dreamed of playing abroad for audiences. It feels great and being recognised always gives me a push to improve myself as an artist. It also makes me feel so grateful to my fans who have been so supportive all these decades.”
Behind the scenes, throughout much of the year, she was in the studio working on her upcoming full-length studio album. “2024 was very innovative for me. I started to write new songs in Spring 2024 when I had a chance between my hectic schedule,” said Lyytinen. “On my last studio album from 2022, Waiting For The Daylight, we had lots of layers on each track – Violins, keyboards, tons of guitar tracks and lots of backing tracks. With the new album, I wanted to go the opposite direction. For the album Smell The Roses I wanted to put the focus on the guitar riffs and guitar solos and make the band instruments stand out individually.”
Smell The Roses is said to continue to showcase Erja Lyytinen’s musical evolution as the artist proceeds to push her creative boundaries with each release that follows. “The album’s backing tracks were recorded at Hollywood House Studios in Helsinki. I told my mixing engineer Matias Kiiveri to go for the sound of seventies rock albums. I have been recently listening to mainly vinyl and recordings from the sixties and early seventies,” she explained. “While mixing the album, we used some analogue gear like a two-track tape machine to get a fat and warm sound on the album. This sound and the organic way of creating music speaks to me a lot.”
Lyytinen was once again at the helm on production duties during the recording of Smell The Roses. “I was working in the studio with my band for only three days, and all the backing tracks were recorded at that time. Then I recorded my guitar solos and vocals on my own at Sniper´s Studio in Helsinki,” confirmed Erja. “This is not the first time I produced and recorded my own album, so I knew what to expect from the task. There were long hours and hard decisions and a lot of guitar playing on my own! I didn’t let myself off easy in the studio this time either. I challenged myself to create more advanced solos than ever before. The album has some fully arranged guitar solos, but also some improvisational lead parts.”
Whilst the genesis of the artist’s last three albums centred around the breakdown of a relationship, by her admission she wanted to make the songs on Smell The Roses to be “edgier”. “There are songs about encountering deep sorrow, meaning getting the blues and subsequently going to hell. Topics like forgiveness, hope, lust, loss and betrayal have been inspiring my songs along with my love for nature. I wanted to add a bit of mystery to some of the songs too,” she said. “There are some puzzles you need to put together yourself.”
Like a lot of artists, Erja Lyytinen wants the subject of her lyrics to be open to the listener’s interpretation. “I don’t want to explain the songs too thoroughly but rather have the listener find their story and their interpretation of the song. Titles like ‘Going To Hell’, ‘Abyss’, and ‘Empty Hours’ probably tell a lot – This isn’t just an album played in a major chord with a smile on your face,” she laughed. “The album is a lot heavier than my previous ones, but it does still lift you up. The rhythms on the album are groovy and rocky and I´m pretty sure most of the songs will be fun to play at festivals and live shows!”
With a March release date, Erja Lyytinen is preparing to spring into action as she unveils her new studio album to her followers around the globe. The album release will be accompanied by Erja’s most extensive UK tour since before the pandemic, with her touring the UK this April
Smell the Roses, the new album from Erja Lyytinen, will be released on 28th March, through Tuohi Records. For further information click here.