COREY BOWEN

With a sound that’s full of youthful vitality and yet borne out of a bygone era, Corey Bowen is no ordinary proposition. An ode to late 1960’s psychadelic pop, Bowen’s first release combines oscillating guitar lines, laid-back drums and lilting organs. Outside the contemporary sonic landscape, he fittingly tells a tale of personal freedom. Delivered laconically and with remarkable coolness, it all smacks of someone with extreme self-confidence.

To Bowen’s credit and the song’s benefit, ‘If Birds Wish To Fly’ does show signs of restraint though. Sonically, it doesn’t attempt to reach too far and thus derail into the frenetic, while the lyrics never veer into the naive or insincere; instead the theme of youthful freedom is underpinned by a mellow realisation of the transient emotions of young lovers.

All in all, on the back of this it doesn’t look like Bowen’s self-confidence is going to be taking a knock anytime soon.

Words by Chris Haywood

Tip by Henry Carden