Lenka 'The Show'

• 10th Jun 2009

Lenka, former vocalist for critically-acclaimed indie/electro outfit Decoder Ring, will release her self-titled solo debut on 29th June 2009. Lead single “The Show” will proceed this on the 15th June. The song takes a dour premise – that life is a show, and sometimes a pretty bad one – and delivers it with such aplomb that you can't help but grin as it erupts into a bold, brassy closing refrain of “I want my money back!”

Other album highlights include the spine-tingling “Trouble Is A Friend,” “Wrote Me Out,” co-written (strangely) with AFI's Hunter Burgan, the seductive “Force of Nature,” “Dangerous & Sweet” with Howie Day (stranger still) on guest vocals and the lullaby-like “Don't Let Me Fall,” with strings conducted by composer/arranger David Campbell (otherwise known as Beck's father). Producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Jay Z) arranged for the session to take place in one of the historic Capitol Records studios.

Starting out as a teen actress training with Cate Blanchett; Lenka alternated between art school and acting (including roles in well-received independent films such as “The Dish” and “Lost Things”). Eventually coming round to music when a role required her to sing, Lenka began recording demos in Sydney and laid down vocals on the soundtrack for the indie film Somersault. The film and soundtrack went on to receive numerous awards and Lenka traveled to the U.S. with Decoder Ring in 2006 for an appearance at South by Southwest and a short tour. After a second album with Decoder Ring, she went solo and eventually relocated to Los Angeles. Her first night in L.A. coincided with the airing of “Follow,” one of her early compositions, on the FX network series “Dirt.”

She was pursued by numerous labels and began recording her debut last December. Lenka also recently headed to Woodstock, NY to record alternate versions of some album tracks and an unusual assortment of covers that includes Modest Mouse's “Gravity Rides Everything,” M Ward's “Vincent O'Brien” and “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. So look for those to surface in the near future.