People are crammed into Phonox in Brixton, a sticky black box of a room, because they want to escape. The dance floor is filled with excitable teenagers dressed like Charli XCX “brat summer” edition (big hair, black cycling sunglasses, miniskirts from the 2000s) and lined with middle-aged techno fans providing stoic encouragement for what has to be some of these kids’ first real club experiences. It’s the July 2024 launch party of Dirty Hit’s new electronic music imprint, dh2, created by The 1975’s George Daniel.
Kelly Lee Owens, the first-ever artist to release on dh2, bounces out from the side door onto the decks. We see only her sunglasses, a joyous grin, and a triangle bob that defies gravity, as she dances her way through a playful set. Daniel and his fiancé—the real Charli XCX—dance and film on their phones behind her.
People at the event—some older fans of hers, many undoubtedly new by way of the George and Charli connection—already know the words to her pulsating and addictive lead single, “Love You Got.” It only dropped a few hours ago. Though Owens’ mix blends other people’s songs with her own, the set feels like an introduction to the philosophy of Dreamstate, her new electronic album.
Its euphoric choruses, spiritual overtones, and mantra-like lyrics initiate listeners into a two-step program: release control over the events of your life and then dream bigger for yourself. For Owens, it was a nerve-wracking experience to publicly welc.