Test Card Recordings I'll stop when I'm done. [VINYL]

'I’ll Stop When I’m Done.' marks the third album by Norwegian artist EERA and the first created from a research-based perspective. Titled after a Marilyn Monroe quote, "I won’t stop when I’m tired, I’ll stop when I’m done", the album interweaves the intimate and personal with broader reflections, and emerges as a studied celebration of the female experience. Sparks of inspiration for the album began with viewings of old black-and-white films, which led EERA to dive deeper into the lives of the female film stars she encountered there. From Shirley Maclaine in ‘The Apartment’ to Marilyn Monroe in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’, the artist felt drawn to these icons and began researching their work and lives. “It felt as though I was having this conversation with these women in a dialogue that made me realise a lot about myself.” This research surfaces in tracks such as ‘Honey, do you see me?’ and 'I’ll stop when I’m done'. The title track inspired by the Monroe quote begins with illusions of grandeur and, by the end, “breaks down into the lyric ‘I just want to find someone to love’. It’s telling yourself that you want one thing, then asking yourself: is it, really?” Here, the concept of a female muse is neither passive nor impenetrable. EERA frames her desires and vulnerability, which feel both achingly human and part of the rich, messy tapestry of womanhood. Threaded through the album are more personal tracks. The opening song ‘Celebrate’ relates to “that feeling of having to do all the things - something I feel carries a very female pressure” whilst ‘Talking’ digs deeper into “into looking at what love means, what relationships mean and how we experience it all differently.” Looking through a glass darkly, EERA twists the lens outwards to our collective experience of love and connection. 'I’ll stop when I’m done' carries a decidedly softer and more subdued sound, punctuated by warm percussion and upbeat intervals. The album was produced with Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) and recorded between Berlin and Barcelona. Recording the lyrics, EERA sang each song softly from a sofa, “which made everything feel more relaxed and personal. As women, we have to be brave and loud and do a million things just to be heard. I feel that makes quite a contrast on the album.”