Inner Song

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Inner Song
Kelly Lee Owens Inner Song Cover.png
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)
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[]

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]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[11]
Metacritic84/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[13]
Clash8/10[14]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The Independent4/5 stars[16]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[17]
NME5/5 stars[18]
Paste8.6/10[19]
Pitchfork7.7/10[8]
Q4/5 stars[20]
Uncut8/10[21]

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".[22]

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.[13] 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."[18]

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."[21]

Accolades[]

Accolades for Inner Song
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
27
[23]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
21
[24]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2020
26
[25]

Track listing[]

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[]

Chart performance for Inner Song
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 80

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: 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. ^ Jump up to: 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. ^ Jump up to: 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. ^ Jump up to: 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. ^ "Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song - Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Inner Song by Kelly Lee Owens reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Inner Song by Kelly Lee Owens Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Inner Song - Kelly Lee Owens". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  14. ^ Crowe, Josh. "Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song". Clash. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  15. ^ Sylvester, Daniel (25 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens's Emotional 'Inner Song' Is About the Journey, Not the Destination". Exclaim!. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  16. ^ O'Conner, Roisin. "Album reviews: Dua Lipa – Club Future Nostalgia, and Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song". The Independent. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Jolley, Ben. "Kelly Lee Owens – 'Inner Song' review: techno-pop for the head and heart". NME. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  19. ^ Freedman, Max (27 August 2020). "Kelly Lee Owens Masters the Dream Pop-Techno Divide on Inner Song". Paste. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  20. ^ Segal, Victoria. "Multifaceted electronica from Welsh producer". Q. No. Summer 2020. p. 104.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Cochrane, Greg. "A second dose of celestial techno". Uncut. No. September 2020. p. 35.
  22. ^ "Kelly Lee Owens Music Profile". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  23. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (8 December 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
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