Dreamstate by Kelly Lee Owens

Review: Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate

Much has been made of Kelly Lee Owens' ice-queen vocals, which can read as both ethereal and chilly (what more would you expect from someone who has, in the past, literally sampled the sound of melting glaciers). But with the Welsh electronic musician and producer's fourth studio album, the effect is, well, heartwarming. On the title track—a warehouse raver that feels like circa-'90s The Orb updated for a different age of psychedelics—she drifts in and out like fog while big, bouncy beats get assertive: Free your mind and your id will follow. Likewise, "Dark Angel" blows in cool before the buoyant rhythm quickly warms things up, pulsing and probing and not being shy about it. It's as giddy and refreshing as jumping into the cold ocean after a hot sauna. And when Owens sounds like a ghost in the machine—specifically, a purling sci-fi synth—on "Rise," it's an altitude rush. "I'll take you down where you wanna go/ Wanna feel the core/ Light up the darkest floor," she sings like the words are a personal motto on "Love You Got." "Sunshine" lives up to its name with a classic Ibiza dance-party build and thumpa-thumpa beats. The ballroom house vibes of "Air" mellow out then bounce back. Atmospheric "Higher" shimmers and shines, trancey but still upbeat. There is a tremulous, organ-like sound to "Ballad (In the End)" that is not white noise or pink noise or brown noise or any of the other variations in meditation apps; it's some prismatic shade, a little unnerving but also hypnotizing. And the album—which features producer-writer credits for Bicep, Tom Rowlands from The Chemical Brothers and The 1975's George Daniel—closes with the most traditional "pop songs" of the bunch. "Time To" is fueled by Depeche Mode synth, while "Trust and Desire" evokes Betty Who.  "Gotta trust a higher love will come," Owens' crystalline voice preaches over a glacial pace and welcoming strings. Suddenly, she's warped by an android-like vocal filter: "Know better, do better." If it's a mantra for higher living, Owens seems to have reached that plane. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz