Eleni Drake Made an Album for Daydreamers

Soft, melancholic and true, Eleni Drake recently released her latest album, “CHUCK” on October 31. It’s composed of 12 songs with melodies that make your heart sing and urge your mind to daydream. Since her first EP in 2020, “Vanilla Sky,” Drake has proven to be a musician that remains true to herself and her work — all while consistently producing music that sounds like nothing else we’ve heard before. 

Alice Rose Lee ©

When did you first start creating music? Was there a specific memory that pushed you to create professionally or was it something that you’ve always wanted to do?

Well, unofficially, probably when I was eight. Officially, when I was around 17, and then I got a job in music when I was 21 writing for other artists. I’ve been making my own stuff since 2020. But, when I was younger I either wanted to be a painter, an author or a musician — all three of which are violently difficult jobs to get into. I ended up opting for music because I felt like I enjoyed it the most. 

What was it like releasing your first song officially?

Honestly… it was underwhelming. But, I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was like I’d written the songs. I’d written the EP, and I guess I always have low expectations, because you never know what’s going to happen. And then I released that EP, “Vanilla Sky.” This was the very first thing I’d ever done [as a musician]. No one knew I was breathing, but there’s a couple songs on that EP that have maintained a good life in the past few years for me. 

How does your most recent album, “CHUCK” differ from your past music?

If you compare “CHUCK” to the very first thing I ever made, I do think it sits in a different world. However, if you put all the EPs and albums I’ve made next to each other, I think you can really hear the progress. I still think [“CHUCK”] sounds like me. I don’t think I’ve changed worlds too much. Maybe it’s a bit more refined and perhaps a bit more mature. 

When did the writing and creating start for “CHUCK”?

The writing started at the beginning of September last year. It pretty much was like, start to finish, a month's worth of just sitting down, writing the songs, going through them and making sure I was happy with them. And then it took a couple of weeks to record. Back in December 2024, it took a couple of weeks to record all the tracks. And then within a month it was mixed and mastered. It was all quite a quick process. 

Are there any songs on the album that caused you to overcome challenges while creating?

Yeah, there's one song on there called “Ripples,” which was the hardest song I've ever released. Because when I originally made “CHUCK,” it was the only song on the entire album that completely changed everything else. If you listen to the demos and you listen to what came out, they all sound exactly the same. They just sound like stripped back versions, whereas “Ripples” was originally like a waltz. It just ended up becoming the complete opposite of that. And I really struggled with it, because as much as I loved the song, I thought the song was too happy for me. Not like, you know, “everything must be sad” kind of way. Just in a way where I was like, “I am struggling to hear myself singing this because I think it's too happy and too good.” I think my music lives in a very melancholic kind of world and I got uncomfortable with pushing my own boundaries. But, I’m glad I pushed myself. 

So, that was my biggest hurdle of the whole album. So much so that I nearly pulled it off. I was like, “Ah, I don't feel confident singing this.” But, there's a handful of people that I really trust musically, and they're all like, “Len, you're a fucking loser if you remove this song from the album,” and I was like, “Okay, okay,” so I kept it in there. Ripples was a hard one for me, because I just didn't think it sounded like me. But I'm glad I kept it in there, because after I got back the master recording, I was like, “Okay, what was this freakout about? It's fine. I'm happy with it. It's good.”

Does the album follow a specific storyline or have an overarching theme/idea?

The whole album essentially encapsulates that [idea] that, while things may not work out the way that we’d hoped they would, we can reflect back on certain memories with people or in situations and see the good in those moments. 

Do you pull any inspiration from other artists?

I feel like some of the music that I love listening to and get inspiration from doesn’t necessarily sound like the music I make. So, one of my biggest inspirations is Mac Miller. I can categorically say that my music sounds nothing like his music. I loved everything he ever did. And Mazzy Star is a huge one for me, but I think you can draw a few more similarities with that band. 

A lot of artists tend to view their work as a form of therapy for them. Would you say that is how you view music? Do you use music to work through personal challenges? 

Yes, definitely a form of therapy. I do find it incredibly therapeutic to be able to say the things I would like to say. But, you know, you get to make it cute by singing it instead of saying it. But to me, music has also been simultaneously the greatest love of my life and the biggest disappointment of my life, because it's not an easy industry, obviously. I feel like I'm sometimes in a bit of a toxic relationship with music.

Because whenever I'm like, “I'm done, I'm out of here, it's over. I can't do this anymore.” It feels like the smallest thing comes about which kind of latches on to me, and I'm like, “Alright, I'll just keep going.” 

So, that side of it I don't like and I wish it was a bit different. But when I remove myself from peoples’ expectations, or I remove myself from where I want my music to go, or how I want it to be received, and I just look at just the joy of creating music, I love it. I cannot see myself doing anything different.

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Listen to "CHUCK" now below.