Kelly Lee Owens has just announced her newest album, LP.8. Unlike what the title suggests, this is her third record (her most recent project Inner Song was released back in 2020). However, according to her own words, “8 meant completion—an album that will ripple infinitely with me personally.” The record was conceived after Owens had to cancel her world tour due to the pandemic. She then fled to the cold land of Norway to work with avant-noise artist Lasse Marhaug. The result of their collaboration is described as a combination of “industrial sounds with ethereal Celtic mysticism, creating music that ebbs and flows between tension and release.”

Alongside the announcement, she’s also unveiled two antagonist new tracks, functioning like the yin and yang: The throbbing industrial “Sonic 8”-echoing the urgency of “Melt!“- opposes the ambient cut “Olga,” which embodies a form of beauty and serenity. Listen and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

Like every year, our team vote for their favourite tracks of the year. You can stream this list, as well as other tracks that were close to entering the top, via our Spotify and Apple Music playlists below. You can also check our Best Albums and Best EPs/Mixtapes of 2020.

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50. Julia-Sophie – “x0x”

49. Blue Hawaii – “Not my Boss!”

48. Zelma Stone – “Fly”

47. Young Ejecta – “Crayon Cactus”

46. Sedona – “Crying On My Own”

45. Zoee – “Rio’s”

44. Prince Innocence – “Angelyne”

43. Laura Groves – “Foolish Games”

42. Cindy Lee – “I Want You To Suffer”

41. Lido Pimienta- “Eso Que Tu Haces”

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40. Jayda G – “Both Of Us”

39. NNAMDÏ – “Perfect In My Mind”

38. Lomelda – “Hannah Sun”

37. Braids – “Young Buck”

36. Against All Logic, Estado Unido, FKA Twigs – “Alucinao”

35. oklou – “unearth me”

34. Kate NV – “Sayonara”

33. Agar Agar – “Nap”

32. Annie – “The Streets Where I Belong”

31. Beadadoobee – “Worth it”

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30. TOPS – “I Feel Alive”

29. Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”

28. Dua Lipa – “Physical”

27. Cakes da Killa, Proper Villains – “Don Dada”

26. Namasenda – “Wanted”

25. Ultraflex – “Never Forget My Baby”

24. Shamir – “On My Own”

23. Discovery Zone – “Dance II”

22. Couch Prints – “Of Drawing”

21. Nilüfer Yanya – “Crash”

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20. Cindy – “2y & 6m”

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19. Bullion – “We Had A Good Time”

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18. Kelly Lee Owens – “Melt!”

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17. Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”

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16. Waxahatchee – “Can’t Do Much”

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15. Maria Minerva – “Apology”

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14. Shygirl – “FREAK”

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13. Jónsi, Robyn – “Salt Licorice”

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12. Perfume Genius – “On The Floor”

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11. Ela Minus – “Megapunk”

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10. Romy – “Lifetime”

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9. SAULT – “Wildfires”

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8. Soccer Mommy – “circle the drain”

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7. Eartheater – “Below The Clavicle”

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6. Helena Deland – “Comfort, Edge”

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5. Fiona Apple – “I Want You To Love Me”

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4. Charli XCX – “Forever”

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3. Dehd – “Loner”

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2. Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”

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1. 070 Shake – “Guilty Conscience”

In a normal, Coronavirus-free world, we would already be able to listen to Kelly Lee Owens‘s sophomore album Inner Song. Initially planned for May 1, the project has been postponed to August but has already given us two amazing singles: “Melt!” and “Night“.

The Welsh producer and vocalist has now unveiled a brand new track and video, “On,” which is definitely our favourite track of the project so far even if you can hear that this is the product of a difficult personal experience for the artist. As she explains it in the press release, Inner Song was written and inspired by “the hardest three years of my life.”

“This is perhaps the most intimate and personal song I’ve written so far,” she explained. “The two halves of the track reflect upon sad acceptances of the truth and then the joyous aftermath of liberation that can come from that​,” she wrote in a press release. “​This can definitely be heard in the production and arrangement of the track — the first half sonically connecting to the inner revelations and the second half, the liberation in action, the forward motion.”

“On” also comes with a Kasper Häggström-directed video. Watch below and stream the single via our Best Tracks of 2020 playlist.

Like a lot of other artists, electronic producer Kelly Lee Owens has recently postponed the release of her new album. In order to make us wait, she has unveiled a hopeful and uplifting new track, “Night,” which “wasn’t really supposed to be a single” according to one of her tweets. “This track speaks as to how feelings and insights are more accessible to us at nighttime,” she detailed. “how the veils are thinner somehow and therefore how we are more able to connect to our hearts true desires. I wanted to release this track as a gift to you during this crazy time, to give a part of my heart to you all.” Watch the visuals, courtesy of Félix Gourd, and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

Welsh musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens will return with her sophomore album in May, three years after the release of her self-titled debut record. Inner Song comes after “the hardest three years of my life,” she stated. “My creative life and everything I’d worked for up to that point was deeply impacted. I wasn’t sure if I could make anything anymore, and it took quite a lot of courage to get to a point where I could create again.”

The title of the album, Inner Smile “really reflects what it felt like to make this record,” she added. “I did a lot of inner work in the past few years, and this is a true reflection of that.”

The whispery yet frontal lead single, “MELT!”, deals with climate change (she sampled the sounds of ice melting). “I wanted to create something that sounded hard but with organic samples,” she explained. “I felt those were great representations of what’s happening in the world, that every moment you’re breathing and sleeping, this is taking place.” The track comes with an animation directed by Laneya Billingsley, aka Billie0cean. Watch and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.

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The three remixes are used as promotion for the release of a vinyl 12″ edition due out on May 25 via One Little Indian Records. As told by Björk herself, it has been pressed on “Slug Genitalia coloured” vinyl. The EP-remixes follows the release of the video directed by Jesse Kanda for the track, that features Arca. You can check the artcover of the EP above.

Björk‘s vinyl 12″ edition of “Utopia” is expected on May 25 via One Little Indian Records.

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100. CITY FATHER – “Coquette”

99. BILLIE EILISH – “Bellyache”

98. SABRINA CLAUDIO – “Belong To You”

97. PETRA GLYNT – “Fell In A Hole”

96. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR + SHARON VAN ETTEN – “Omnion”

95. GIRLI – “Hot Mess”

94. THE SOFT MOON – “Burn”

93. J.I.D – “Never”

92. ACE TEE + KWAM.E – “Bist Du Down?”

91. CRALIAS – “Hope You Are”

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90. CHROMATICS – “Shadow”

89. RUN THE JEWELS – “Legend Has It”

88. CARDI B – “Bodak Yellow”

87. YELLOW DAYS – “Hurt In Love”

86. JFDR – “Airbone”

85. SUSANNE SUNDFØR – “Undercover”

84. TOM TRIPP – “Aurelia”

83. SUPERORGANISM – “Something For Your M.I.N.D.”

82. KAN WAKAN – “Still Feather”

81. NILÜFER YANYA – “Baby Luv”

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80. WAKE CHILD – “In The End”

79. JAJA BU – “Sweetness”

78. ALVVAYS – “Dreams Tonite”

77. KIDÄ – “Bone Mother”

76. HÅN – “The Children”

75. ULYSSE – “Mañana”

74. SHY GIRLS – “You Like The Pain Too”

73. GOURMET – “Delicious”

72. SORCHA RICHARDSON – “4AM”

71. MILLIE TURNER – “Underwater”

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70. NABIHAH IQBAL – “Something More”

69. KEDR LIVANSKIY – “Your Name (имя твоё)”

68. MORGXN – “xx”

67. GRIZZLY BEAR – “Mourning Sound”

66. DANIEL CAESAR + KALI UCHIS – “Get You”

65. DILLON – “2.KIND”

64. COUCOU CHLOE + SEGA BODEGA – “Flip U”

63. THE TRP – “Soda”

62. JAY SOM – “The Bus Song”

61. GFOTY – “Tongue”

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60. SELENA GOMEZ -“Bad Liar”

59. ELA MINUS – “Juan Sant”

58. EMPRESS OF – “Go To Hell”

57. SHE Major – “Please Don’t”

56. VAGABON – “Cold Appartment”

55. NADINE – “Ultra Pink”

54. SONDER – “Feel”

53. RINA SAWAYAMA – “Alterlife”

52. SEGA BODEGA + SHYGIRL – “CC”

51. GOLDLINK + BRENT FAIYAZ – “Crew”

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50. CRATER – “Unearth”

49. QUAY DASH – “Decline Him”

48. YELLE – “Romeo”

47. GABRIEL GARZÓN-MONTANO – “Fruitflies”

46. WESLEE – “Bathwater”

45. FOREST SWORDS – “The Highest Flood”

44. KENDRICK LAMAR + ZACARI – “LOVE.”

43. ALEX CAMERON + ANGEL OLSEN – “Stranger’s Kiss”

42. SMERZ – “Oh My My”

41. SASSY 009 – “Are You Leaving”

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40. CHARLI XCX – “Roll With Me”

39. TESSA DIXSON – “Prayer”

38. TOMMY GENESIS – “Tommy”

37. SSION – “Comeback”

36. PIXX – “Romance”

35. DANNY L HARLE – “1UL”

34. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – “american dream”

33. LANA DEL REY – “Love”

32. KING KRULE – “Dum Surfer”

31. SAMPHA – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”

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30. MAKTHAVERSKAN – “Vienna”

29. CCFX – “The One To Wait”

28. KLLO – “Downfall”

27. KELLY LEE OWENS + JENNY HVAL – “Anxi.”

26. BLUE HAWAII – “No One Like You”

25. FEVER RAY – “Wanna Sip”

24. JULIEN BAKER – “Turn Out The Lights”

23. LIL PEEP + LIL TRACY – “witchblades”

22. FAKA – “Uyang’khumbula”

21. TR/ST – “Bicep”

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20. SARO – “Eyelids”

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19. BROCKHAMPTON – “Summer”

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18. TYLER, THE CREATOR + KALI UCHIS – “See You Again”

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17. O-SHiN – “A Revelation”

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16. ionnalee – “SAMARITAN”

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15. Vince Staples – “Crabs In A Bucket”

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14. WWWATER – “My Hands”

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13. Björk – “Blissing Me”

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12. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut To The Feeling”

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11. Big Thief – “Mythological Beauty”

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10. SZA – “Drew Barrymore”

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9. Frank Ocean – “Chanel”

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8. Wy – “Bathrooms”

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7. SOPHIE – “It’s Okay To Cry”

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6. Moses Sumney – “Doomed”

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5. Kelela – “Onanon”

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4. Arca – “Desafío”

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3. Lorde – “The Louvre”

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2. Perfume Genius – “Slip Away”

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1. Yaeji – “Raingurl”

Listen to the 100 tracks of 2017 according to the HighClouds‘ staff via Spotify, Youtube and Deezer.

20) Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Jardin

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19) Pixx – The Age of Anxiety

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18) Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

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17) Makthaverskan – III

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16) Fever Ray – Plunge

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15) Vagabon – Infinite Worlds

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14) SZA – Ctrl

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13) Big Thief – Capacity

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12) BROCKHAMPTON – Saturation II

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11) Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens

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10) Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

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9) Björk – Utopia

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8) wy – Okay

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7) Moses Sumney – Aromanticism

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6) Julien Baker – Turn Out The Light

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5) Kelela – Take Me Apart

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4) Arca – Arca

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3) Perfume Genius – No Shape

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2) BROCKHAMPTON – Saturation

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1) Lorde – Melodrama

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