Vera Blue might be an unfamiliar name to some at the moment, but the Australian songstress is about to take your summer music playlist by storm with the release of her Lady Powers / Power Ladies Remix EP. The EP is just the latest exciting release from Blue, taking a fiery electro-pop track off her debut album Perrenial and mixing it with a powerhouse of female producers like TOKiMONSTA, Alice Ivy, and Maria Marcus. But before you go running for the lush dance movements on that EP her debut is something of a deep cut to get lost in first, one that mixes her folk upbringing as an early singer/songwriter with a very clear and bold affinity for experimentation.

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The album opens with the stunning vocal work of “First Week,” a gorgeous track that really punctuates Blue’s ambitions to not just be another pop singer that hides behind bland beats. Between the heavenly uplift of backing choir vocals and a dizzying array of electronica, Blue’s songwriting and piercing howls are always found center-stage. “Said Goodbye To Your Mother” and “Settle” are further evidence that Blue refuses to hide behind any manner of mediocre synth overlay, fearlessly diving into an icy depth of emotional clarity that cuts even deeper because of that croon of hers. But the singer isn’t so easily pigeon-holed either, and that EP we mentioned earlier is a dance-ready collection of hits that rework her “Lady Powers” into something brand new with every remix. Whether it’s cutting up the track into a beat-tripping soundscape filled with feral percussiveness or soaking the entire thing in a bottomless well of house-infused rumblings whose echoes seem to bounce off the walls, the female-powered EP is a living testament to Blue’s mantra.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#FF78FF” class=”fistclass” size=”15″]“Lady Powers’ is about not having to use your sexuality to be respected as a woman and to be able to feel comfortable in your own skin without having to change for someone while knowing who you are, your worth and your strength,” the singer said of the song. “It’s hard sometimes, especially when you feel vulnerable. You can question who you are to try and suit the desires of another resulting in a loss of dignity and self-respect. My friends empower and inspire me, giving me security and confidence to feel strong and worthy. As women we all have lady powers, but we shouldn’t have to use them to feel wanted or respected. We need to respect ourselves. In doing that, we have true lady powers other than just our bodies.”[/perfectpullquote]