24 January 2020 - 0 Comments

Lyttelton musician Kate Owen is releasing Lover, the second single from her debut album, on January 24th.

Lover is a dreamy pop anthem boasting a bold arpeggiated synth. But behind this 80’s styled dance tune is dark irony; lyrically Owen is exploring the true nature of the promises we make when we fall in love.

The video produced for Lover explores the chaos and vulnerability of romantic love further. Owen teamed up with Christchurch-based Circo Arts performer Danny Syme for the video and says: “The art form of clown and mime to me is all about exposing our humanity and the masks we wear to survive, so for me it was a perfect vehicle to communicate the meaning of the song visually.”

Lover is one of twelve tracks on the album Not A Proper Girl, which was recorded in Lyttelton with renowned producer, Ben Edwards and will be released March 13, 2020. The instrumentation on the album ranges from a crashing full band, to stripped-back tracks with just keys and vocal, a testament to Edward’s ability to help artists explore their sound in the studio.

“I took a crazy range of demos into the studio and Ben embraced it all,” says Owen. If it didn’t work, we’d rip it all out and start from scratch. The result is an album with a sound that has been likened to PJ Harvey and Julee Cruise (Twin Peaks), with a lyrical style echoing Jeff Buckley.

“I think releasing Lover, with it’s upbeat pop feel, in the middle of summer is perfect,” says Owen. “It’s for everyone falling in sunburnt love, and for anyone with a lonely or broken heart to remember it’s all just a dream.”

Themes of isolation and grief run strong throughout the album. Song writing is how Kate has worked through life’s struggles: not feeling feminine enough as a young woman; losing her mother to mental illness and then suicide; never having children of her own; and in her own words her ‘disillusionment with romantic love as the modern holy grail of human connection’

Not A Proper Girl is due out 13 March 2020 and distributed by Southbound. All tracks will be available on Apple Music, Spotify and other major streaming platforms. Other artists featuring on the album include Jonty O’Connor (ZANE 2000, Shifting Sands, Emily Fairlight), Shane Bollingford, Tom Harris, Moses (House of Mountain, Jed Parsons), Anita Clark (Motte, Devilish Mary), Elmore Jones, Ben Edwards, and Mike Fordham. All tracks are written by Kate Owen.

Owen will tour New Zealand’s main centres in March 2020.

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