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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
By allowing her songs to breathe, leaving space for contemplation, ‘Inner Song’ is a perfectly-arranged album where each track has a part to play: 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.
90
This album is a leap in artistry that sees Kelly Lee Owens return fully-formed, hopefully more fulfilled, and damn near flawless.
90
If Owens’ technical wizardry was enough to put her on a par with her peers from the outset, then it’s the level of emotional intelligence she imbues her work with that makes her the leading light of UK electronic.
86
If Kelly Lee Owens gently opened the door between dream pop and techno, Inner Song rushes through it and builds a world where ecstatic, curative, untethered electronic sounds abound.
85
It’s hard not to lavish Owens with praise here, but atop Inner Song’s exceptional track list and an underlying message based around acceptance and healing, Owens uses those experiences to expand into a wider array of exploration and storytelling.
80
For a record that's full of left turns, Kelly Lee Owen's second album has a remarkable directness.
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1y
80
Sonically rich, emotionally weighty techno pop.
80
'Inner Song' is an atmospheric journey around peaks and valleys, from ethereal vocals that transcend reality to riotous head-banging ballads that invigorate the senses.
80
Owen's second album is nonetheless a triumph of soundscapes, an album not meant to analyze and decipher but to daydream, sleepwalk and stargaze through.
80
Throughout is a sense of wonderment at being alone. Perhaps solitude is an underrated pursuit, but with Inner Song, Owens makes a highly convincing case for it.
80
By creating an album that speaks to her own experiences in its every nuance, she’s crafted one of the finest subversive pop records of the year.
80
A mesmerising and spectral sophomore effort, where Owens captures the sweeping landscapes of her inner world.
80
Delayed to show “solidarity” with record shops threatened by Covid, Kelly Lee Owens’s second album finds the banging techno DJ venturing further into the realm of electronic pop.
80
An album for the head, heart and body in equal measure it’s a striking and significant step forward from an artist at the top of her game.
79
Inner Song is an uplifting, joyful and charming album that perfectly combines the heady rush of techno with ‘pop’ sensibilities.
77
On her second album, the Welsh electronic musician leans into both her loops and her lyrics, seeking something spiritual in the act of repetition.
70
On Inner Song, Owens reaffirms her abilities as a top flight ambient electronic artist and delivers several distinctive, emotionally charged tracks.
70
Like her debut, Inner Song covers a lot of emotional ground, and her exploratory spirit is just as captivating as the messages she expresses.
60
Inner Song has an admirably adventurous spirit, but the overall experience is dampened by a lack of consistency.
this is an amazing journey of house music in modern art. i’m so glad kelly created ‘Inner Song’.
if organic chemistry was in music form it would sound like this. the production is gorgeously abrasive (for example, during the second half of “night”).
kelly Lee Owens should have tremendous pride of ‘Inner Song’, which begins with the brilliant Radiohead cover of ‘Arpeggi’, and continues to amaze thereafter.
this is what a cover should be: ... read more
A transcending album, unmatched by anything in its field released this year, Kelly Lee Owens soars and mystifies on Inner Song. The techno-pop amalgamation rarely sounds so good, but Owens clearly has a knack for producing beats that inspire reflection but still cause your body to oscillate with the sounds. That she doesn't rely on the production to carry the weight of the album, instead choosing to make something more genuine, only makes this album even more gratifying.
The dream pop ... read more
'Inner Song' destaca entre outras coisas, a primorosa forma em que Kelly Lee Owens modela o tech house com uma forte influência do dream pop diante de rupturas e vocais desolados pela cessante presença de elementos recheados de música eletrônica, dos quais acabam trazendo camadas e mais camadas para os vocais tomados de emoção - o que pode ser visto em faixas como 'L.I.N.E.' e 'Wake Up', dois grandes triunfos resguardados de identidade e profundidade ... read more
"The rain, the rain, the rain, Thank God, the rain"
Although starting off with a 3-minute stretch of overly repetitive, bland synthwave that, as AOTY member @lapartmaudite described it, sounds as if it's "straight off Stranger Things", the ending of Arpeggi starts a fantastic 9-track run of techno and pop tracks. This is my first introduction to Kelly Lee Owens and her music and I must say, she definitely showed a lot of versatility here. This album has some awesome techno ... read more
Club-friendly cerebral house music with hints of Eno. Lyrically average. The synth wave could be straight off Stranger Things.
I love the variety of tech house and ambient pop tracks throughout this LP. On one hand there are these beautiful, atmospheric electro pop songs like "Re-Wild", then these hard-hitting, cold tech house bangers like "Melt!". The album is quite a mess in the way its laid-out though. However, it feels so adventurous and forward-thinking that I can't help but admire it.
Fav tracks: On, Melt!, Re-Wild, Jeanette, L.I.N.E., Night, Flow, Wake-Up
Least fav track: Corner Of My Sky
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Track List
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | Loud and Quiet |
| #4 | / | Dummy |
| #6 | / | NME |
| #7 | / | Piccadilly Records |
| #8 | / | Drift |
| #8 | / | Norman Records |
| #9 | / | The Skinny |
| #14 | / | Treble |
| #16 | / | DIY |
| #18 | / | Our Culture |
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Added on: February 25, 2020