“I loved you once, but I don’t love you today“

The other day I was walking my dog and listening to new music when a particular tune really caught my attention. The Daniel Johnston-esque keyboard intro grabbed me first, but Eve Owen’s vocals sealed the deal.

I needed more, and lucky for me, Owen’s debut album, Don’t Let The Ink Dry, had just dropped that day (insert “Yes“ gif). I dove in.

The opening track has this old school European folk beat that drives the song behind Owen’s beautiful vocals. Her ability to intertwine these folk foundations with modern tones and instruments is prevalent throughout the record. I was impressed, but I still hadn’t figured out why she was so familiar.

I did a little digging and found that Owen sites Bob Dylan and Joan Baez as early influences from when she started composing music. That makes perfect sense, but I also hear some Joni Mitchell and Hope Sandoval in there.

In my digging I also discovered her album was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, which is awesome because they’ve been one of my favorite bands for over a decade. That’s where the mystery was solved.

In the recording sessions for Don’t Let The Ink Dry, Owen and Dessner came up with the standout track “Where Is Her Head" that was featured on The Nationals 2019 I Am Easy To Find. Owen sings lead on what immediately became one of my favorites from their extensive catalog. Not because of them, but because of her beautiful voice.

Almost exactly a year after I first became enamored with Eve Owen’s voice, I discovered it again.

- Josh

Owen pulled me in with “Mother“

The gorgeous piano ballad, “She Says“

Mazzy Star (Hope Sandoval’s band) meets folk in “So Still For You“

Bonus Track: “Where Is Her Head“ by The National (ft. Eve Owen on lead vocals)