On March 28th, 2025, award-winning guitarist and blues artist extraordinaire Erja Lyytinen will release her new studio album “Smell the Roses”.
The lead single and title track is released on Wednesday January 29th and is accompanied by a new music video. Elaborating on the track Erja 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 single is available on all streaming platforms here. Watch the music video below.
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 relentlessly, 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 Erja 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, Erja 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”.
Amid extensive touring activity and her stint on The Masked Singer, 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 Erja’s debut solo album “Wildflower”.
During what was already a sterling year for the artist, in November 2024 Erja Lyytinen was recognised as an Angel of Rock at 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 recognized 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 2024, Erja 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”, says Erja. “On my last studio album from 2022, ‘Waiting for the Daylight’, we had lots of layers on each track – violins, keyboards, tens 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” continues 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”, explains Erja. “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”.
Erja once again was at the helm of 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 says. “There are some puzzles you need to put together yourself”.
Like a lot of artists, Erja 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”, laughs Erja. “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”!
“Smell the Roses”, the new album from Erja Lyytinen, will be released on March 28th, 2025, via Tuohi Records.
Pre-order & pre-save “Smell the Roses” here.
Tracklist:
1. Smell the Roses (4:40)
2. Going to Hell (5:01)
3. Abyss (7:21)
4. Dragonfly (5:47)
5. Wings to Fly (6:12)
6. The Ring (5:35)
7. Ball and Chain (4:16)
8. Stoney Creek (5:08)
9. Empty Hours (5:24)
With a March release date, Erja Lyytinen is preparing to spring into action as she unveils her eagerly anticipated new studio album to her loyal followers around the globe. The album release will be accompanied by Erja’s most extensive UK tour since before the pandemic.
For further information, including an up-to-date touring schedule, click here.
UK Tour Dates 2025:
2 April UK – Oxford, O2 Academy Oxford
3 April UK – Dudley, The Lamp Tavern
4 April UK – Liverpool, O2 Academy Liverpool
5 April UK – Newcastle, THINK TANK? Newcastle
6 April UK – Edinburgh, The Mash House
7 April UK – Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
8 April UK – Sheffield, @The Greystones, Sheffield
9 April UK – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
10 April UK – Blackpool, Waterloo FY4
11 April UK – London, O2 Academy Islington
12 April UK – Sittingbourne, The Appleyard
