According to the press release “an incredible feeling of freedom and escapism” dominates the fourth full-length by Welsh electronic music artist Kelly Lee Owens, so the title “Dreamstate” does make a lot of sense. Compared to the experimental 2022 “LP.8” and the slightly darker and also fittingly titled “Inner Songs” from 2020, this new body of work is indeed a bit more euphoric and positive. It’s an album that celebrates the power of the four-to-the-floor beat while also showcasing the artist’s profound songwriting skills. “Dark Angel” does open the album slightly more atmospheric but the title track and its bubbling acid bassline make sure that Kelly Lee Owens’ work is still rooted on the club floor.
The tremendous singles “Love You Got” and “Higher” continue to deliver that hands-in-the-air-euphoria before a few more mellow songs slow the tempo a bit down in the middle of the record.
What I enjoy about “Dreamstate” is not just the wonderful production and the angel-like voice of its creator, but the aspect that it works extremely well as a coherent record.
There’s a flow that combines all these different worlds. Still, I wouldn’t label the record as a pure club album. Sure, there are more straightforward bangers like the terrific “Air” but these songs also work in different contexts. It’s an album full of energy, a battery full of ideas and love. “I do my best to stay open,” she sings on the relaxing “Ballad (In the End)” and that repetitive mantra resonates a lot with me these days, I have to say. With this new album Kelly Lee Owens cements her status as one of electronic music’s finest contemporary players. Björk, Jon Hopkins and Depeche Mode are already fans and I am as well. So, follow the advice of us all and enter a very special “Dreamstate” right here.
The Fat Angel Sings 