Inner Song

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Inner Song
Studio album by
Kelly Lee Owens
Released28 August 2020 (2020-08-28)
Genre
Length49:56
LabelSmalltown Supersound
Producer
Kelly Lee Owens chronology
Kelly Lee Owens
(2017) 		Inner Song
(2020) 		LP.8
(2022)
Singles from Inner Song
  1. "Melt!"
    Released: 25 February 2020
  2. "Night"
    Released: 22 April 2020
  3. "On"
    Released: 24 June 2020

Inner Song is the second studio album by Welsh electronic musician Kelly Lee Owens. It was released through Smalltown Supersound on 28 August 2020.[1] It features a collaboration with Welsh musician John Cale.[2]

Background[edit]

Inner Song was first announced on 25 February 2020 alongside a release of the album's lead single, "Melt!".[3] Owens wrote and recorded the album after what she considered to be the hardest three years of her life.[4] Originally, the album was scheduled to be released on 1 May 2020,[5] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release date was pushed back to 28 August 2020.[1] The album's name is borrowed from a 1974 album by Alan Silva.[4]

The single "Corner of My Sky" features vocals from John Cale in both English and Welsh.[6] Owens explained her collaboration with Cale and the inclusion of the Welsh language was a means to connect with her Welsh heritage.[6] Cale noted that his ability to conjure Welsh phrases was a "surprise since I hadn't written in Welsh for decades".[7]

The album also features a cover of the song "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" from the 2007 Radiohead album In Rainbows.[8]

Some vinyl editions of the album include a hidden bonus track, titled "My Own", which was released as a Bandcamp exclusive track in March 2021.[9]

Composition[edit]

Inner Song is a techno-pop,[10] dream pop,[11] ambient techno,[12] tech house,[13] downtempo,[14] ethereal pop,[12] electronic pop,[15] and progressive house[16] album with elements of trip hop,[14] bedroom pop,[17] industrial techno,[17] R&B,[18] electro,[19] experimental,[20] psychedelic,[20] minimalism[21] and avant-garde.[22]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[23]
Metacritic84/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Clash8/10[20]
Exclaim!8/10[25]
The Independent[26]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[18]
NME[10]
Paste8.6/10[11]
Pitchfork7.7/10[8]
Q[27]
Uncut8/10[28]

The album was released to critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84 based on fourteen reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[29]

Critics praised Owens for her ability to combine multiple genres in a single album. Paul Simpson of AllMusic noted how Owens "flip[s] from downtempo dream pop to spacy techno with ease," and compared her multi-genre approach to her debut album, Kelly Lee Owens.[14] Nathan Smith for Pitchfork writes that Owens is able to utilize multiple styles in the album as a result of "her unusual ability to join the physical with the emotional."[8] Writing for NME, Ben Jolley lauded the album as "perfectly-arranged" and described it as "an emotive-yet-euphoric collection that's made for late-night reflection, Kelly Lee Owens has made one of the most beautiful records of the year."[10]

Critics also praised Owens' vocals. Smith writes, "her vocals are as confident and captivating as her beats."[8] Greg Cochrane of Uncut praised the development and use of Owens' voice: "this time, when deployed, it's positioned centrally."[28]

Accolades[edit]

Accolades for Inner Song
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
27
[30]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
21
[31]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2020
26
[32]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics and vocal melodies written by Kelly Lee Owens; all music written by Kelly Lee Owens & James Greenwood, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Arpeggi" 
4:45
2."On"  5:57
3."Melt!"  3:34
4."Re-Wild"  3:42
5."Jeanette"  6:14
6."L.I.N.E." James Greenwood3:47
7."Corner of My Sky" (featuring John Cale)John Cale 7:27
8."Night"  5:10
9."Flow"  4:54
10."Wake-Up"  4:26
Total length:49:56

Vinyl hidden track

No.TitleLength
11."My Own"3:11
Total length:53:07

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Inner Song
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 80

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Bloom, Madison (24 March 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens Delays New Album Release Due to Coronavirus". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Kelly Lee Owens delays album because of coronavirus". NME. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Kelly Lee Owens announces new album 'Inner Song'". Crack Magazine. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b Moreland, Quinn (25 February 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song "Melt!"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  5. ^ Smith, Mark (25 February 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens' second album, Inner Song, is a product of 'the hardest three years' of her life". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Damian (4 August 2020). "Listen to Kelly Lee Owens and John Cale collaborate on new single". NME. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  7. ^ Shaffer, Claire (4 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens Collaborates With John Cale on 'Corner of My Sky'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Smith, Nathan (1 September 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  9. ^ "My Own (Bandcamp Exclusive), by Kelly Lee Owens". Kelly Lee Owens. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Jolley, Ben (27 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens – 'Inner Song' review: techno-pop for the head and heart". NME. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  11. ^ a b Freedman, Max (27 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens Masters the Dream Pop-Techno Divide on Inner Song". Paste. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  12. ^ a b Thomas, Katie. "Album Review: Inner Song". Crack. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Review: LP.8 by Kelly Lee Owens". Sputnik. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d "Inner Song - Kelly Lee Owens". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  15. ^ Empire, Kitty (30 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song review – a DJ finds her voice". The Observer. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  16. ^ Younis, Reef. "Inner Song Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  17. ^ a b Radley, Blaise. "Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song Album Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  18. ^ a b Lilly, Evan. "Kelly Lee Owens continues to be ahead of the curve on a richly expansive second outing". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  19. ^ Dedman, Todd (September 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: KELLY LEE OWENS – INNER SONG". BPM. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Crowe, Josh (25 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song". Clash. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  21. ^ Goggins, Joe (26 August 2020). "Album Review: Inner Song - Kelly Lee Owens". Gigwise. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  22. ^ King, Pat. "Kelly Lee Owens Soothes and Disorients on LP.8". Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Inner Song by Kelly Lee Owens reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Inner Song by Kelly Lee Owens Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  25. ^ Sylvester, Daniel (25 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens's Emotional 'Inner Song' Is About the Journey, Not the Destination". Exclaim!. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  26. ^ O'Conner, Roisin (28 August 2020). "Album reviews: Dua Lipa – Club Future Nostalgia, and Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song". The Independent. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  27. ^ Segal, Victoria. "Multifaceted electronica from Welsh producer". Q. No. Summer 2020. p. 104.
  28. ^ a b Cochrane, Greg. "A second dose of celestial techno". Uncut. No. September 2020. p. 35.
  29. ^ "Kelly Lee Owens Music Profile". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  30. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (8 December 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  31. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
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