Inner Song

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]

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

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[10]
Metacritic84/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Clash8/10[13]
Exclaim!8/10[14]
The Independent[15]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[16]
NME[17]
Paste8.6/10[18]
Pitchfork7.7/10[8]
Q[19]
Uncut8/10[20]

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".[21]

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.[12] 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."[17]

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."[20]

Accolades
Accolades for Inner Song
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
27
[22]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
21
[23]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2020
26
[24]

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)[25] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[26] 80

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