Angel Olsen Preps Eighties Covers Album, Drops ‘Gloria’

Angel Olsen will travel back to the Eighties with an EP of covers, out digitally on August 20th.

Olsen previewed Aisles with a cover of Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” a sultry rendition with a slowed-down tempo. “I’d heard ‘Gloria’ for the first time at a family Christmas gathering and was amazed at all the aunts who got up to dance,” she said in a statement. “I imagined them all dancing and laughing in slow motion, and that’s when I got the idea to slow the entire song down and try it out in this way.”

Aisles also features covers of Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a Face,” Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave,” Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance,” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young.”

“I know it’s not really in my history to do something unintentional or just for the hell of it, but my connection to these songs is pretty straightforward,” Olsen said in a statement. “I just wanted to have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous, and I think I needed to remember that I could!”

Aisles follows the box set Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories and “Like I Used To” with Sharon Van Etten. The EP marks the first release from Somethingscosmic, Olsen’s imprint off Jagjaguwar that will feature her covers, collaborations, and singles.

“In this time away from touring, I have been inspired to create more, and Somethingscosmic will give me flexibility to release when and how I want to with the help from my longtime partners at Jagjaguwar,” she said. “The hope is that it will become a place for all of my creative endeavors, music and otherwise.”

Aisles will see a physical release on September 24th, which you can preorder here.

Aisles EP Tracklist
1. Gloria
2. Eyes Without a Face
3. Safety Dance
4. If You Leave
5. Forever Young