Berlin-based, UK-raised sonic shapeshifter Perera Elsewhere has released a new double single, NGL / Visions (featuring Neven), via LA label Friends Of Friends. Known for bending genres and moods into her self-styled “Doom Folk” aesthetic, Perera – real name Sasha Perera – delivers a pair of tracks that are brooding, hypnotic, and emotionally charged, offering a tantalising preview of her forthcoming fourth album Just Wanna Live Some, due 24th October 2025.
Perera Elsewhere
The release comes with a mesmerising, monochromatic visualiser by Hugo Holger Schneider for NGL, in which Perera, trumpet in hand, performs amid a shifting landscape of fractured geometric forms. It’s a fitting visual for a song that brims with defiance, resilience and a refusal to be pulled down by the weight of disappointment. The lyrics – “Not gonna cry just for you. Grown up wise to all of you. Got my balance. In my stride. Not Gonna Lie U can’t kill my vibe” – are delivered in her signature blend of part-spoken word and melodic phrasing, floating over a lo-fi electronic backdrop of deep synths, sparse beats, and subtle trumpet flourishes.
Speaking about the track, Perera says: “The song NGL is dedicated to all the humans, institutions and ideas that have disappointed me. Chin up, basically, is what I’m saying. I wrote it in Margate during an artist residency at the Prah Foundation studio. They had this gorgeous Hohner Pianet T from the 70s, which I laid the chords on, then added vocals – the sea air and that instrument gave the track its warmth.”
The companion track Visions, co-written and co-produced with long-time collaborator Neven – best known as the creator of Native Instruments’ Playbox software, used by the likes of Brian Eno and Arca – is a slicker, darker slice of alt-pop. Built from a cross-continental “ping-pong” of vocal takes and production ideas, it’s drenched in liquid synths, distorted yet soulful vocals, and intricate, spacious arrangements. For Perera, it was a chance to embrace a different creative dynamic: “This one probably took the longest to make because we sent so many parts back and forth. Having another producer involved brought fresh ideas and pop sensibilities – it turned out really pop in my eyes, but with that unexpected edge that makes collaboration so exciting.”
Both tracks underline Perera’s ever-evolving approach to sound – a heady fusion of electronic experimentation, off-kilter club influences, and cinematic moodscapes. It’s a continuation of the restless creativity that has defined her career, from her early days fronting bass-pop outfit Jahcoozi, to her work as one of the first promoters to bring grime and dubstep to Berlin, to her acclaimed trilogy of albums Everlast (2013), All Of This (2017) and Home (2022).
With Just Wanna Live Some, Perera promises a record that swings between intimate melancholy and widescreen drama. Expect tracks that could score an epic sci-fi film, sit alongside protest anthems, or soundtrack a late-night club set. As ever, her trumpet – an instrument she mastered as a teenager – threads through the music like a second voice, grounding even the most futuristic production in something deeply human.
Over a decade into her solo career, Perera Elsewhere remains difficult to categorise – a true multi-hyphenate artist whose work spans production, songwriting, DJing, sound art and performance. Whether conjuring moments of stillness or sparking the urge to dance and fight for change in the same breath, she’s still, as ever, Elsewhere.
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