Singer/songwriter and producer Almost Owen (or AO) has released his new song 'Rush'.
'Rush' is the 3rd single from his full length album 'Late Night Dangerous' which is due to be released on July 28th, following a sting of critically acclaimed 2019 releases that have garnered millions of listens across streaming platforms.
Almost Own describes 'Rush' as:
“a song about hope, heartbreak and a yearning for something that could have been, but never was ”.
The track starts off stripped down and vulnerable, starting with only a pianoish synth to accompany AO’s raw and emotional vocals. From there it quickly develops into an epic cascade of hauntingly beautiful soundscapes that are at once both nostalgic and completely new.
We had the opportunity to chat with Almost Owen to get to know him a little better...
Welcome to The Lowdown! Introduce yourself and tell us something about you!
"Yoo what’s up. I’m a soon-to-be Los Angeles based artist by the name of Almost Owen. I write, produce and record all my tracks in my studio (read: bedroom) in an attempt to turn feeling my feelings into musical goodness.
That goodness usually ends up sounding like a combination of pop, hip-hop electronic and soul music - often introspective, and always heartfelt."
Where are you from?
"I came up in a town just outside of Boston, MA. I had pretty debilitating adhd growing up, and music was just about the only thing that could hold my attention for any extended period of time.
There were lots of places to see and perform music in the city. I was lucky to start meeting some of Boston’s heavy hitting musicians early on, and was performing regularly in clubs by the time I hit high school."
How long have you been making music?
"I guess about as long as I can remember. My parents are music fanatics, and had an incredible vinyl collection. Pretty much all of my childhood memories have a soundtrack to them.
I think I was like 5 years old when my pops took me to my first arena concert. I’m not sure I had the self-awareness to know it, but from then on I was hooked."
Which artists have you added to your own playlist recently?
"I’ve been listening to a lot of Blackbear, Quinn XCII, Ruel and Eman8. K dot and Anderson Paak. have been on pretty heavy rotation too. But I devote time every day to checking out new stuff, so if you ask me in a week or two you’ll get a different answer."
What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t making music?
"I honestly have no damn idea. I am very much a self-starter when it comes to things that I am passionate about. But I’m pretty bad at getting the engine going for just about anything else. It’s just the way I’m built.
I think I *could* have made a life for myself as some other kind of entrepreneur. Maybe a halfway decent lawyer. I could also have seen myself ending up as a farmhand or doing some other sort of manual labor. But yeah this is a pretty scary question to consider."
Who are your biggest influences, in life or musically?
My parents and brother have been incredibly influential, as well as a constant source of support. This generation in my extended family is pretty type A - you know, top tier colleges, high powered high paying jobs - that whole deal. Any plain text reading would put in firmly in the black sheep category. But I’ve never felt that way.
I’m also pretty damn competitive. So beyond the love and friendship, my family is a constant reminder to buckle down and make shit happen.
What’s your favourite social media platform at the minute?
"Instagram and Facebook still feel pretty solid to me. I really enjoy being able to do livestream concerts and q&as with my fans. Lot’s of folks have been telling me to step up my Tik Tok game - I suppose it’s probably time to see what all the fuss is about..."
What is your idea of an ideal day?
"Any day that starts with a song and ends with a show is perfect in my book. Covid has rendered most days for most people less than ideal. I’ve just been trying to stay in touch with fans through social media and make as much music as I can during this downtime. The void is mostly filled."
Do you have a favourite memory or story from your career so far?
"A few years back I got an email from a middle school music teacher. One of her students was really into a song of mine. As a class project they wrote a choral arrangement which they ended up performing at some big inter-school concert. They sounded great! It was pretty fun to see."
You recently released another track ‘The Way That You Love’. How has the reaction been so far?
"So far so good! I actually wrote The Way That You Love a few years ago, and have been sitting on the track ever since. It’s a pretty high energy vibe dance record - but it has some pretty dark undertones. It felt weirdly right for this deeply absurd moment in time.
I just released a new song called Rush which is going to end up on an album with The Way That You Love. Thematically they’re pretty similar - both exposing the raw emotions that come from good love going bad."
For anyone that hasn’t listened to the track already - how would you sum it up in 5 words?
"Big Beats Meet Trust Issues"
What’s coming next for you?
"I’m releasing a full length album called 'Late Night Dangerous' on July 28th. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m really excited to finally have it out there. After that I’ll be putting out new music every 1-2 weeks for the foreseeable future.
I’m also moving to LA in September. My goal right now is to keep all the balls up in the air - and to be quick to react if one of them drops."
Listen to 'Rush' HERE Instagram: @almostowenmusic