Kelly Lee Owens – Page 2 – 7th Level Music

Kelly Lee Owens make us “Melt!” with her new single from her upcoming album – “Inner Song.”

Convention-blurring techno producer/musician Kelly Lee Owens will release her second album, Inner Song, on May 1st via Smalltown Supersound. Alongside the announcement, she presents its lead single/visual, “Melt!” Inner Song finds Owens diving deep into her own psyche—working through the struggles she’s faced over the last several years and exploring personal pain while embracing the beauty of the natural world. It’s a leap in artistry from a musician who burst forth on the scene with a confident, rich sound, and is steadily enticing. Inner Song follows the 2017 release of her much lauded self-titled debut, as well as remixes of St. Vincent and by Björk, last year’s “Let It Go / Omen” 12”, and her recent collaboration with Jon Hopkins.

The hair-raising bass and tickling textures of Inner Song drive home that, more so than ever, Owens is locked in to delivering maximal aural pleasure and is adept at containing musical and emotional multitudes within just one song. The album features an unconventional Radiohead cover, the voice of fellow Welsh artist John Cale over a psychedelic lullaby, an electro-pop number that glimmers with yo-yo synths and a tough as nails backbeat, and techno banger “Melt!” Although sonically distinct from the rest of Inner Song, “Melt!” is an essential piece of the album. Throughout, Owens comments on the ever-pressing issue of climate change, right down to its structural composition, which includes samples of melting glacial ice and people skating on thin ice. “I wanted to create something that sounded hard but with organic samples.I felt those were great representations of what’s happening in the world, that every moment you’re breathing and sleeping, this is taking place,” says Owens. Its accompanying video, directed by filmmakerLaneya Billingsley (aka Billie0cean), creates a connection between our bodies and the earth, and shows how the two are not separate.
Watch Kelly Lee Owens’ Visuals for “Melt!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kW0vbVEIXE

Stream “Melt!”
https://kellyleeowens.lnk.to/melt
Inner Song came out of what Owens describes as “the hardest three years of my life. . .my creative life and everything I’d worked for up to that point was deeply impacted. I wasn’t sure if I could make anything anymore, and it took quite a lot of courage to get to a point where I could create again.” The evocative title of the album, borrowed from free-jazz maestro Alan Silva‘s 1972 opus, “really reflects what it felt like to make this record. I did a lot of inner work in the past few years, and this is a true reflection of that.”

Inner Song is available for pre-order now. The vinyl is being released as a sesquialbum, or triple-sided album, with the fourth side etched by Kim Hiorthøy.
Pre-order Inner Song
https://kellyleeowens.lnk.to/innersong

Inner Song Tracklist:
1. Arpeggi
2. On
3. Melt!
4. Re-Wild
5. Jeanette
6. L.I.N.E.
7. Corner Of My Sky
8. Night
9. Flow
10. Wake-Up

Kelly Lee Owens Tour Dates:
Fri. Feb. 28 – London, UK @ Southbank Centre (DJ)
Sat. Feb. 29 – Milan, IT @ Contemporary Art Pavillion (DJ)
Fri. March. 6 – London, UK @ 6 Music Festival (DJ)
Sat. March. 7 – Graz, AT @ Elevate Festival (DJ)
Sat. March. 21 – Istanbul, TU @ Babylon (DJ)
Fri. March. 27 – Rome, IT @ Manifesto Festival (DJ)
Wed. May. 06 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns – Warm Up Show
Fri. May. 08 – Manchester, UK @ YES – Warm Up Show
Sat. May. 09 – Berlin, DE @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Wed. May. 13 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Sat. May. 23 – London, UK @ All Points East Festival
Sun. June. 14 – Dhërmi, AL @ Kala Festival
Sat. June. 27 – Perk, BE @ Paradise City Festival
Fri. July. 10 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival
Thu. July. 30 – Amsterdam, NL @ Dekmantel Festival

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll melt if you subscribe.]

Top 20 singles of 2019: #’s 5 – 1

Let’s do this!

#5 – Priests – “Jesus’ Son”

This track about toxic masculinity let everyone know that Priests weren’t screwing around this year. It was the second cut from the brilliant album The Seduction of Kansas and it knocked you down if you didn’t respect it and them.

#4 – All Them Witches – “1 x 1”

Another single that knocked me flat this year was this new one from All Them Witches. It was a pleasant surprise and ended up being one of the heaviest tracks all year. ATW are brewing up dark stuff, and it’s all amazing.

#3 – Cass McCombs – “Absentee”

Cass McCombs wasn’t on my radar until I heard this single. I immediately thought, “Wow…I need to hear more of this guy.” This song, which my wife describes as “Comfortable,” is a haunting and lovely track that’s hard to describe (Alt-country jazz? Psychedelic lounge?) but why bother? Just enjoy it.

#2 – Cosmonauts – “Seven Sisters”

I’m not sure I rushed to buy an album so fast after hearing one track from it than when I heard this track from the new Cosmonauts record, Star 69. I blasted this thing in my wife’s car, possibly making her wonder if I was having an out-of-body experience based on my reaction to it. I think I was. I don’t quite remember because I think the wall of shoegaze sound that assaulted me knocked my brain into the back seat.

#1 – Kelly Lee Owens – “Let It Go”

This song will make you stop whatever you’re doing and dance. It was an instant club classic as soon as it was released. Kelly Lee Owens inspires me to make electronic music, and almost intimidates me to the point of not bothering – which is what a good teacher should do, inspire and challenge. She does both for all of us with this track.

There you have it. My list of top albums of the year is coming soon!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe.]

Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens create “Luminous Spaces.”

Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens present their new single and first collaborative recording, “Luminous Spaces,” available digitally now and on 12” on January 24, 2020. The track was originally destined to be a remix of Hopkins’ “Luminous Beings” by Owens, but after the pair worked closely together in the studio, it morphed into a standalone single. The two have built a working relationship over the past few years through sharing the same bill in live capacities and on DJ line-ups across the globe. Their work perfectly complements each other; Hopkins transcendent, dancefloor-focused electronics paired with Owens’ entrancing vocals and ethereal techno production creates a euphoric collaboration.

Hopkins on working with Owens:
“This project started as something very different from what you’re hearing now – I wanted Kelly to do a straight remix of ‘Luminous Beings.’ I sent her the parts, but what she sent back just felt like something totally new, and had the potential to be so much more than a remix. She’d recorded these beautiful, uplifting vocal lines and had come up with joyous new riffs that recalled for me the best bits of the 90s trance/euphoria that I had grown up loving. I got a beautiful sense of nostalgia and a true heart-lifting joy the first time I heard it, and it was so painless to take it from there to a finished piece – related and born out of ‘Luminous Beings’ but very much its own thing.”

Owens on working with Hopkins:
“‘Luminous Spaces’ initially began as a remix I did for Jon, which I also wrote vocals on top of. I sent the whole track to Jon for feedback and this lead to the start of a more collaborative effort, with him adding extra sound design/ production, and a new intro and outro, which I loved! The exchanging of ideas back and forth made it an extra special process for us and is why he decided to upgrade it to a full and proper collaboration. Our worlds truly colliding!”

Hopkins has forged a reputation for music that marries the dancefloor to the devotional, and for live performances that are visceral, generous, charged with a rapt, sensuous beauty. He’s regarded by The New Yorker as “one of the most celebrated electronic musicians of his generation” for his five solo albums – as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, David Lynch and King Creosote, and film scores for The Lovely Bones and Monsters. Last year, Hopkins’ Singularity received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Kelly Lee Owens bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and krautrock’s mechanical pulse, and is known for her energetic, engaging live shows and DJ sets. She is also an in-demand remixer, working with Björk, Mount Kimbie, St Vincent and Jenny Hval. Her debut self-titled album was released via Smalltown Supersound in 2017.

Listen to “Luminous Spaces” –
http://smarturl.it/LuminousSpacesYT
http://smarturl.it/LuminousSpacesStrm

Pre-order the “Luminous Spaces” 12” –
https://smarturl.it/LuminousSpacesMart

Following the single, Hopkins will play shows in New Zealand and Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, early in the new year. He will then begin his Polarity Tour across the UK and Europe, combining his more meditative piano music, for which he will be joined on stage by a small group of consummate musician and long-time friends, with his harder more techno-focused material. A full list of dates for the Polarity Tour can found below.

Watch the Polarity Tour trailer here –
https://youtu.be/dGX_PzKVDzw

Jon Hopkins Polarity Tour:
Tue. March 3 – Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall
Thu. March 5 – Gateshead, UK @ Sage Gateshead
Fri. March 6 – Dublin, IE @ Bord Gais Energy Theatre – SOLD OUT
Fri. March 13 – Manchester, UK @ Bridgewater Hall
Sat. March 14 – Bath, UK @ The Forum
Sun. March 15 – Brighton, UK @ Dome
Wed. March 18 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall – SOLD OUT
Fri. March 20 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel
Wed. March 25 – Copenhagen, DK @ Koncerthuset – Koncertsalen
Thu. March 26 – Stockholm, SE @ Gota Lejon
Fri. March 27 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
Sun. March 29 – Helsinki, FI @ Helsinki Music Centre
Tue. March 31 – Hamburg, DE @ Laeiszhalle
Wed. April 1 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Thu. April 2 – Berlin, DE @ Philharmonie
Sat. April 4 – The Hague, NL @ Rewire

Keep your mind open.

[Fill the empty space of your e-mail inbox with luminous music news and reviews by subscribing.]

Kelly Lee Owens releases two new cuts from upcoming 12″ single.

British musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens shares new tracks, “Let It Go” and “Omen,” available digitally now and via limited 12” on July 5th via Smalltown Supersound. “Let It Go” was created for Owens’ DJ set at London’s Fabric earlier this year and made available yesterday via Adult Swim’s Singles Series. “Let It Go” is a high energy club track, featuring hard-hitting beats and Owens’ feathery vocals. “While working on my second album, I had my Room 1 Fabric DJ set coming up, so I decided to make a track for fun, to play out. There’s no better way of testing out new stuff than on that legendary sound system,” says Owens. “Let It Go / Omen” follows her “immensely varied and fully-formed” (Pitchfork) self-titled debut, released in 2017.

After playing dates in Europe, Owens will play DJ sets in New York and California. Then, she will return to Europe to appear at select festivals. All dates are below.

Listen to “Let It Go” – https://youtu.be/gSitKhOPmLY

Listen to “Omen” – https://youtu.be/jF3fT5SYDjk

Kelly Lee Owens Tour Dates: Sat. June 1 – Leeds, UK @ Inner City Festival (DJ Set) Fri. June 7 – London, UK @ Field Day Sat. June 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz (DJ Set) Fri. July 5 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere (DJ Set) Sat. July 6 – New York, NY @ Location TBA (DJ Set) Thu. July 11 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom (DJ Set) Fri. July 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 (DJ Set) Sat. July 13 – Mexico City, MX @ Yu Yu (DJ Set) Fri. July 19 – Cheshire, UK @ Blue Dot Festival Fri. Aug. 2 – Ghent, BE @ Absolutely Free Festival (DJ Set) Thu. Aug. 8 – Mon. Aug. 12 – Barcelona, ES @ Boaty Weekender Cruise Fri. Aug. 30 – Salisbury, UK @ End of The Road Festival

Keep your mind open.

[This is an omen for you to subscribe.]

Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 5 – 1

We’ve reached the top of the list. Let’s see who made it.

#5: Kelly Lee Owens at Pitchfork Music Festival – I had wanted to see Ms. Owens perform since her self-titled album was my favorite of 2017. She put on a dazzling set of electro that had the early afternoon crowd moving and inspired me to look into creating electro of my own.

#4: The Black Angels at Levitation Austin – The 2018 Levitation Austin festival was the first one since the 2016 festival had been shut down due to bad weather. The 2018 was a make-or-break year for the festival’s organizers, who include the Black Angels. Their set was powerful and almost a rallying cry for the festival goers, their fans, music fans, and the city.

#3: Oh Sees at Levitation Austin – I’ll just say this: Every story you’ve heard about how crazy an Oh Sees show is? They’re all true.

#2: Follakzoid at Levitation Austin – I had no idea what I was in for when I walked in to see Chilean space-psych rockers Follakzoid for the first time. What I got was a mind-altering performance of perhaps three songs that lasted nearly forty minutes. It was stunning. I couldn’t stop thinking about their set for almost the entire next day.

#1: Radiohead at Chicago’s United Center – It had been a few years since I’d seen Radiohead, and they’ve only improved in that time. It was a wonderful show that covered a lot of their material and turned the entire United Center into a disco ball.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Kelly Lee Owens announces March U.S. tour.

KELLY LEE OWENS ANNOUNCES MARCH 2018 U.S. TOUR

LISTEN TO KELLY REMIX ST. VINCENT’S “NEW YORK”
https://youtu.be/fw1uuMxoZG0

(above image by Jason Williamson)

“Kelly Lee Owens’ debut album introduces the world to a fully formed aesthetic . . Not many debuts balance emotion and economy with such finesse.” — Pitchfork, #3 in Best Electronic Albums of 2017

“Kelly Lee Owens splices luscious Cocteau Twins–influenced hymns with passages of
four-on-the-floor hypnosis. The analogue sounds of bells and tabla give standouts like ‘Bird’ or ‘Arthur’
a homespun feel, and there’s plenty of structural and lyrical intrigue nestled within the album’s all-enveloping, pastel pulse.”
— The Atlantic, #9 in Best Albums of 2017

“KLO’s stunning debut is a beautifully immersive and enveloping take on all of our favorite things: emotional, floating electronic dream-pop and more propulsive and visceral dance music that pulses like an underwater heartbeat, seamlessly woven into something that feels both familiar and entirely new.”
— Gorilla vs. Bear, #2 in Favorite Albums of 2017

London-based Kelly Lee Owens announces a March U.S. tour in support of her self-titled debut album, out now on Smalltown Supersound, and a remix of St. Vincent’s “New York.” Owens will play many cities for the first time on this second U.S. tour. All dates are below.

Named Album of the Year by the influential Piccadilly Records, Kelly Lee Owens was named the #2 album of 2017 by Gorilla vs. Bear, Loud and Quiet, and Drowned in Sound, while also making year-end lists from Pitchfork, The Atlantic, Under The Radar, Brooklyn Vegan, Bandcamp, Mixmag and beyond. Additionally, Owens capped off the year with Björk featuring the album’s lead single, “Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval, in her Cover Mix for Mixmag.

Stream Kelly Lee Owens’ Remix of St. Vincent’s “New York” –
https://youtu.be/fw1uuMxoZG0

Watch/Listen/Share:
Kelly Lee Owens – https://open.spotify.com/album/3Zx14dyUjtZcEas89nZZfn
“Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval video – https://youtu.be/FdDf2Ib4B64
“Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval stream – http://bit.ly/2qZpJuq
“Throwing Lines” video – https://youtu.be/oyx-lpJYGCg

Kelly Lee Owens’ Tour Dates:
Fri. March 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere – Zone One
Sat. March 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Tue. March 20 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
Wed. March 21 – Denver, CO @ Bar Standard
Thu. March 22 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest
Sat. March 24 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
Sun. March 25 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. March 27 – Miami, FL @ Floyd
Thu. March 29 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Sat. March 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Sanctuary at Pico Union
Sun. April 1 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

Purchase:
Kelly Lee Owens – http://smarturl.it/KellyLeeOwens
“More Than A Woman” – http://smarturl.it/STS32612

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | Hi-res press images

Top 30 albums of 2017: #’s 5 – 1

Happy New Year! What were the best albums of last year? Well, these topped the list for me.

#5 – Blanck Mass – World Eater

The somewhat startling cover is a warning for a powerful, teeth-baring electro record that somehow catches all the chaos this year displayed. There was a lot of early buzz about this record upon its release, and for good reason. It’s a stunning piece of synthwave, dark wave, and psychedelic fever dreams.

#4 – All Them Witches – Sleeping Through the War

This psychedelic blues-rock was pretty much a lock for my favorite rock record of the year as soon as I heard it. ATW brew up haunting tracks that range in subjects from being stuck in purgatory to internet addiction (which are pretty much the same thing).

#3 – LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

Their reunion was possibly the most anticipated of the year, and they proved they hadn’t lost a thing on this great record. Front man James Murphy‘s lyrics are as searing as ever as he confronts aging, love, social media, partying, and Millennials. One of the singles, “Tonite” (one of my favorites of the year) is a great example. It’s a song about songs, but it’s also about the fears and joys of aging.

#2 – WALL – Untitled

This is a bittersweet choice because one of the best post-punk records, and best records in any genre, of the year is by a band who broke up before it was released or even named. WALL‘s only full-length record is shrouded in mysterious lyrics about the current political landscape and the band itself. It’s also full of sharp guitar hooks and sass that is sorely missed. Consider yourself blessed if you caught one of their too few live shows.

#1 – Kelly Lee Owens – self-titled

I read a review of this album that described it as “a breath of fresh air.” I’m not sure I can beat that description because this stunning debut is the most beautiful record I heard all year. Ms. Owens’ synth soundscapes immediately seem to lighten gravity around you. It’s a tonic for the toxic atmosphere we’re living in right now (both in the real world and in the one that blitzes us from cyberspace every day). If 2017 got you down, listen to this album today and you will have a much better outlook on the year to come.

Keep your mind open.

[Start your new year off right by subscribing.]

Kelly Lee Owens adds North America dates to her world tour.

KELLY LEE OWENS ANNOUNCES FIRST NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
AND PRESENTS VIDEO FOR “THROWING LINES”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW ON SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND

(above image by Kim Hiorthøy)

“Kelly Lee Owens sounds ethereal and jittery at the same time — not an easy thing . . . Her sounds are the rounded, rubbery boops and pings of techno, ricocheting all around; a steady but understated beat carries [‘Anxi’] into a complete transformation halfway through.” – The New York Times

“[Kelly Lee Owens] mixes dream pop and ambient techno on her immensely varied and fully-formed debut.” – Pitchfork

“The stunning debut album from [Kelly Lee Owens] is the aural equivalent of a hot-stone massage: It’s 45 minutes of gently pulsing electronic beats, sumptuous keyboard hooks, and Owens’ heavenly vocals.” – Entertainment Weekly “Must List”

“an album of contradictions, subverting dance music and pop structures at once.” – W Magazine
London-based producer Kelly Lee Owens is announcing her first ever North American tour in support of her self-titled, debut album, released this past March via Smalltown Supersound. On stage as on record, Kelly blurs the line between throbbing techno and pop vocal performances. For her first trip stateside, she’ll bring her meditative and immersive live show to FYF Fest, plus other major cities across the country.

Additionally, Kelly now presents the video for “Throwing Lines.” As Kelly describes it, “This is one of the poppiest tracks on my record and it could have had a showy video to match, but it feels good to take the piss instead – out of myself and that world.”

Kelly Lee Owens bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and Krautrock’s mechanical pulse. It brims with exploratory wonder and delves into a variety of moods – sadness, anxiety, and darkly shaded ecstasy – with a trippy-eyed clarity and confidence. Since announcing her debut album, Kelly has quickly become regarded as one of the most exciting new artists to watch from the likes of Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and way beyond.
Watch Kelly Lee Owens’ “Throwing Lines” Video –
https://youtu.be/oyx-lpJYGCg

Watch/Listen/Share:
Kelly Lee Owens album stream – https://open.spotify.com/album/3Zx14dyUjtZcEas89nZZfn
“Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval video – https://youtu.be/FdDf2Ib4B64
“Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval stream – http://bit.ly/2qZpJuq

Kelly Lee Owens’ Tour Dates:
(new dates in bold)
Wed. May 10 – London, UK @ Pickle Factory
Thu. May 11 – Amsterdam, NL @ De School
Sat. May 13 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
Wed. May 17 – Toulouse, FR @ Art Gallery (DJ Set)
Sat. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Sun. June 11 – Paris, FR @ We Love Green Festival
Sat. July 8 – Cheshire, UK @ Jodrell Bank Observatory, Bluedot Festival
Wed. July 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Good Room
Thu. July 13 – Montreal, QC @ Ritz PDB
Fri. July 14 – Toronto, ON @ Coda w/ John Talabot
Sat. July 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Thu. July 20 – Seattle, WA @ Q Nightclub w/ John Talabot
Fri. July 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest
Sat. July 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Music Hall
Fri. Aug 11 – Göteborg, SE @ Way Out West Festival
Sat. Aug. 12 – Oslo, NO @ Øya Festival
Fri. Sep. 1 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
Sun. Sep 3 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic Festival
Thu. Oct 19 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Wed. Nov. 1 – Sun. Nov. 5 – Reykjavik, IS @ Air Waves Festival

Purchase Kelly Lee Owens –
http://smarturl.it/KellyLeeOwens

Download hi-res press images –
www.pitchperfectpr.com/kelly-lee-owens/
Kelly Lee Owens online:
https://kellyleeowens.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kellyleeowens/
https://twitter.com/kellyleeowens https://www.instagram.com/kellyleeowens/
https://soundcloud.com/kellyleeowens
http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/
http://pitchperfectpr.com/kelly-lee-owens

Kelly Lee Owens – self-titled

A strong contender for my favorite album of 2017 has arrived in early spring. Kelly Lee Owens’ debut self-titled album is a refreshing, sensual, and dreamy electro album that’s a great change of pace from all the EDM and dubstep ripping through festivals every weekend and seemingly everywhere. I don’t mind those genres at all, but Ms. Owens has crafted something that stands out and finding such records in EDM and dubstep is tough nowadays.

“S.O.” sounds like something Vangelis might’ve crafted until Owens’ incense smoke-drifting-through-sunshine vocals appear. Poppy beats that sound like electric tablas root the track, but it will make you float on your feet or in your chair. “Arthur” begins with birdsong and rainfall and looped moans as the beat builds and the song becomes a beautiful mist you can feel but can’t quite see.

I think “Anxi.,” which features Jenny Hval on lead vocals, is about anxiety. Hval sings about “keeping it together” and “doing Barack badly.” Does she worry about not living up to expectations she set for herself during Obama’s presidency or ones set by others, like the family she mentions? I’m not sure. All I do know is that the bass at the halfway point of the track is so damn funky that all anxiety you might have is washed away because you’re too busy dancing.

“Lucid” is a good name for the next track, because it’s like something from a dream. “Different from the rest. Don’t you see it? Where we ought to be. Lucid, lucid,” Owens sings in some of her clearest vocals on the record. She seems to urge a potential lover to see the love she’s offering that’s right there for the taking but is going unnoticed.

“Evolution” should, by all rights, be tearing up dance floors in various remixes by now. It’s a great mix of industrial dance music, EDM, and synth-pop. “Bird” throws you for a loop by starting with a synthesized strings and tubular bells. Then, dear God, that synth-bass wallops you upside the head and you’re practically drifting around the astral plane. “Throwing Lines” continues the poppy electro beats, but the vocals are reverbed to the moon and back (which is great).

I don’t know what “Cbm” stands for, but I do know it’s a floor-stomper of a track that speaks of colors in motion – which only adds to the trippy atmosphere. “Keep Walking” reminds me of old Chemical Brothers tracks (the ones on the mellow side, at least). It’s full of deep bass, fuzzy guitar, clockwork beats, and lovely female vocals. The tenth, and final, track is called “8.” Only Owens knows why. It has nothing to do with the length of the song (9:39), but perhaps it’s a reference to infinity or a Mobius loop. The song is definitely spacey enough to justify that guess.

I don’t know where Ms. Owens has been hiding all this time, but I’m glad she’s here and has given us this album. This has to be one of the best debuts I’ve heard in a long while. All other 2017 electro albums will have to bring their A-game to match or top it.

Keep your mind open.

[Stay lucid with us by subscribing.]

Kelly Lee Owens’ debut album out March 24th.

LISTEN TO KELLY LEE OWENS’ DEBUT ALBUM VIA NPR MUSIC’S “FIRST LISTEN”
http://n.pr/2mayKmi

WATCH VIDEO FOR “ANXI” FT. JENNY HVAL, DIRECTED BY KIM HIORTHØY
https://youtu.be/FdDf2Ib4B64

DEBUT ALBUM OUT THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 24TH, ON SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND

“[Kelly Lee Owens’] melodies are effortless, romantic and repetitive; its atmosphere replete with pastoral open spaces and the kind of spiritual longing at the heart of human intimacy.” – NPR Music’s “First Listen”

“The self-titled record is a confluence of enveloping club tracks and underwater transmissions—roiling currents, sonar bass pulses, and a sense of chaos teeming beneath a pristine veneer.” – Pitchfork “Rising”

“. . . gently pulsing beats, ghostly vocal melodies, and synthesizer hooks that are both chilly and enveloping.” — Entertainment Weekly’s “Breaking Big”

“Rumbling with frustrated energy, Kelly Lee Owens’s “Anxi.,” featuring Jenny Hval, sounds mystical and mad.”
— The FADER
Kelly Lee Owens, the 28-year old London-based producer, is set to release her self-titled debut album, next Friday, March 24th via Smalltown Supersound. Leading into this Friday’s release, the album is available to stream via NPR Music’s “First Listen.” Additionally, Kelly is excited to present the music video (her first!) for “Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval. Directed by visual artist Kim Hiorthøy, it’s a perfect compliment to the song’s “steady pulse of techno-inflected thumps and bright melodies” (Pitchfork).

Before starting work on her self-produced album, Kelly Lee Owens turned her keen ear towards dance music after working in a record store with techno producer Daniel Avery. Her voice and contributions can be heard on Avery’s Drone Logic. Since then, she self-released two white label 12”s, with last fall’s “Oleic” EP to follow. Her self-titled solo album is first and foremost Owens’ vision — it bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and Krautrock’s mechanical pulse, and it brims with exploratory wonder. It delves into a variety of moods – sadness, anxiety, and darkly shaded ecstasy – with a trippy-eyed clarity and confidence.
Stream Kelly Lee Owens via NPR Music –
http://n.pr/2mayKmi

Watch “Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval video –
https://youtu.be/FdDf2Ib4B64

Listen to/share “Anxi” ft. Jenny Hval –
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/kelly-lee-owens-anxi-ft-jenny-hval/
https://open.spotify.com/album/0RDYUWPkH0EsLmIq2pE8u1

Pre-order Kelly Lee Owens –
http://smarturl.it/KellyLeeOwens

Kelly Lee Owens’ Tour Dates:
Sun. March 26 – Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade in-store
Mon. March 27 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East in-store
Thu. April 20 – Paris, FR @ Fils de Venus
Wed. May 10 – London, UK @ Pickle Factory
Thu. May 11 – Amsterdam, NL @ De School
Sat. May 13 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
Wed. May 17 – Toulouse, FR @ Art Gallery (DJ Set)
Sat. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Sun. June 11 – Paris, FR @ We Love Green Festival
Sat. July 8 – Cheshire, UK @ Jodrell Bank Observatory, Bluedot Festival
Sat. Aug. 12 – Oslo, NO @ Øya Festival
Fri. Sep. 1 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
Wed. Nov. 1 – Sun. Nov. 5 – Reykjavik, IS @ Air Waves Festival
Kelly Lee Owens online:
https://kellyleeowens.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kellyleeowens/
https://twitter.com/kellyleeowens
https://www.instagram.com/kellyleeowens/
https://soundcloud.com/kellyleeowens
http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/
http://pitchperfectpr.com/kelly-lee-owens/