Producer Kelly Lee Owens announced her sophomore album is on the way. Following her self-titled full-length 2017 debut, Owens’ upcoming record Inner Song arrives in May. Along with unveiling her new project, Owens shared a visual to accompany her lead single “Melt.”
Textured rhythms pace alongside trickling synths on “Melt.” The accompanying visual is a series of saturated graphics interlaid atop each other. In a statement, Owens described how she arrived at the distinct sound. “I wanted to create something that sounded hard but with organic samples,” Owens said. “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.”
While “Melt” is the first taste of Inner Song, the remainder of the record sees similar sonic textures, electro-pop anthems, and even an unconventional Radiohead cover. Owens said Inner Song came out of what she describes as “the hardest three years” of her life. “My creative life and everything I’d worked for up to that point was deeply impacted,” she said. “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 was borrowed from free-jazz maestro Alan Silva’s 1972 opus. Owens said it “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.”
Watch “Melt” above. Below, find Kelly Lee Owens’ Inner Song album art, tracklist, and tour dates.
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”
02/28 — London, UK @ Southbank Centre (DJ)
02/29 — Milan, IT @ Contemporary Art Pavillion (DJ)
03/06 — London, UK @ 6 Music Festival (DJ)
03/07 — Graz, AT @ Elevate Festival (DJ)
03/21 — Istanbul, TU @ Babylon (DJ)
03/27 — Rome, IT @ Manifesto Festival (DJ)
05/06 — Brighton, UK @ Patterns – Warm Up Show
05/08 — Manchester, UK @ YES – Warm Up Show
05/09 — Berlin, DE @ Pitchfork Music Festival
05/13 — London, UK @ Rough Trade East
05/23 — London, UK @ All Points East Festival
06/14 — Dhërmi, AL @ Kala Festival
06/27 — Perk, BE @ Paradise City Festival
06/10 — Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival
06/30 — Amsterdam, NL @ Dekmantel Festival
Inner Song is out 05/01 via Smalltown Supersound. Pre-order it here.