Vera Blue returns with ‘Modern Rituals’, her forthcoming new album due Friday August 21st on Island Records / Universal Music Australia. Alongside the announcement comes her long awaited headline tour for this August with new single and stunning video Rituals leading the charge.
Tickets to the ‘Modern Rituals’ Tour go on sale Friday June 12th at 9.00am local time.
The forthcoming national tour marks Vera Blue’s first headline tour since 2022, a long-awaited return for an artist who has spent recent years headlining festivals across the country and will soon join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Vera Blue x MSO Orchestral Veil at Hamer Hall on July 11th.
Prior to writing her new album ‘Modern Rituals’, Celia believed Vera Blue, her stage name, was a separate entity from the inner self, a method of artistic communication and collaboration, someone to be spoken of in third person. It was through the songwriting process for ‘Modern Rituals’ that Celia had a realisation: “… Celia Pavey and Vera Blue are not separate entities. They are one.”
As with any slice of profound wisdom, answers just beget more questions. Celia had just unlocked a fundamental truth about her own practice, and yet there was still so much more to uncover. And so, ‘Modern Rituals’, an iridescent, concise collection of eight light-filled tracks, was born.
Serving as the opening track to her third studio album, Rituals was created alongside Grammy-nominated producer Lachlan Bostock (Dom Dolla, ODESZA). The signature delicate trill of Vera Blue’s vocal is centre-stage throughout the entire album, but never more so than on Rituals. The listener can hear every minuscule performance decision Celia has made as her voice works wonders alongside both cinematic, climactic strings and the simple accompaniment of an old upright piano.
Speaking on the track and video Vera shares: “‘Rituals’ is about learning to witness every version of yourself with honesty and compassion. Embracing the emotional patterns, sensitivities, and complexities that shape who we are, rather than constantly trying to fix them. I’m so proud of this song and how special it was working on it with Lach Bostock.
The video strips everything back to something raw, instinctive, and vulnerable. The movement becomes a physical reflection of the emotional release, self-awareness, and surrender explored in the song. I loved creating this with my close friend Dave Jenkins Jr. , someone I’ve worked alongside for over 12 years. Because he knows me so deeply, both as a person and an artist, I felt completely safe to be vulnerable and express the rawest version of myself through movement and emotion.”
Rituals follows previous singles Parallel Desire, In The Corner and Go Lucky and with each song on ‘Modern Rituals’, there holds a mirror to a separate, personal ritual, of Celia excavating more and more elements and textures of the self. As Celia explains it, the album title reflects the present – the speed and intensity of today’s world, and the past – the eternal, ancient, ever-returning themes of being human.
Renowned for her hypnotic and dynamic live performance, that has even seen Vera Blue perform to a crowd of 100,000 at the AFL Grand Final, the Sydney-based artist will bring ‘Modern Rituals’ to life alongside her familiar hits, Regular Touch, Hold and her most recent cover of The Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, featured heavily in Paramount + Series Two Years Later.
Rituals IS OUT NOW
‘MODERN RITUALS’ WILL BE RELEASED ON FRIDAY AUGUST 21st – PRE-ORDER NOW
VERA BLUE
‘MODERN RITUALS’ TOUR
For all touring and ticket information CLICK HERE
FRI 21 AUG – PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE QLD
SAT 22 AUG – CITY RECITAL HALL, SYDNEY NSW
SUN 23 AUG – UC REFECTORY, CANBERRA ACT
WED 26 AUG – NORTHCOTE THEATRE, MELBOURNE VIC
THU 27 AUG – THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA
FRI 28 AUG – THE RECHABITE, PERTH WA
With thanks to Island Records Australia
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