Words by: Ysabela De Ocampo

Jenny Owen Youngs’ latest EP, Echo Mountain has arrived — and its title suits the sound well. It’s mellow and lullaby-like vibe has the ability to slow down time. Owen Youngs’ voice sounds like it swells and echoes between mountains throughout the EP — making for a relaxing and pleasant listening experience.

Echo Mountain opens with “Follow You,” a soft acoustic instrumentation that sets you up for what to expect for the rest of the EP. Tracks “Sunfish” and “Little Bird” follow with a similar fashion. Though all are melodically different from each other, Jenny Owen Youngs plays with velvety acoustic guitars and an under-layer of tinkering lush keys on several tracks. “Sunfish,” lyrically paints a picture where Jenny Owen Youngs’ influences really shine through. The singer-songwriter is from forests of northern New Jersey. It’s heard when she sings, “All I can hear is the wind in the trees…” followed by reverberated oohs that are reminiscent of howling winds. On “Little Bird,” Owen Youngs’ almost speaks, and sometimes whispers to emphasize emotive lyricism, the track features a little more percussive elements to pick up the mood.

More of Jenny Owen Youngs’ experimental side is heard in “Dungeons and Dragons,” “Long Long Gone,” and “Follow You” the John Mark Nelson remix. The later two tracks are creative in sound as she layers two vocals for “Long Long Gone,” creating space and feelings of dissonance. On the other hand, John Nelsons remix for “Follow You” refreshes the sounds the EP has to offer. “[The track] is about wanting to go back to moments to which you can never return, or wishing you could sidestep to alternate outcomes of the path you didn’t take when the road forked.”

Throughout the EP Owen Youngs uses cryptic and imaginative lyricism, and “Dungeons and Dragons” is the best example of it. The track opens at a different pace from the others, with its skipping guitar pulse in the intro making it much livelier than other tracks. Jenny Owen Youngs speaks on the song, which “is about using a role-playing game as an early escapism tool. It’s also about the fear of turning into the worst parts of the people who raise you.” A message hidden in the innocent and playful imagery and beat. The sparse use of electric guitars at the end sets this track apart as well.

Overall, Echo Mountain is a well-crafted EP, with quality production and artful themes. Some of which include nostalgia for the carefree and unsettling times of childhood and teenage years. Other songs are ruminations on the lasting impact certain decisions can have, and how we learn to grow from them. The EP’s ethereal, cinematic and contemplative pace are contributions of producers Ethan Gruska [Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutter] and Jake Sinclair [Taylor Swift, Weezer, Panic! At The Disco].

Jenny Owen Youngs grew up in the forests of northern New Jersey and is now based in Maine. The singer-songwriter has a handful of EPs in addition to Echo Mountain as well as three albums. Some of her works are independent or released via Nettwerk Records. Owen Youngs’ songs can be heard on Bojack Horseman, Weeds, and Grey’s Anatomy to name a few. Her work is praised by The New York Times, Stereogum, Vice, NPR Music, The Washington Post and more. Jenny Owen Youngs will be performing Echo Mountain on a live stream event on March 25th at 8:00 pm EST. Tickets are available now.

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