Lightleak & Watersignwave by There's Talk

There’s Talk is an Oakland-based electronic dream pop band fronted by multi-instrumentalist Olivia Lee (vocals, synths, production) joined by collaborators Kellen Balla (production, programming, vocals), & Young Lee (guitar, vocals). Balancing elements of electronica & hazy reverb-drenched shoegaze, the trio creates a majestic sonic landscape. Much of their music is drawn from Lee’s childhood love of electronic synthesizers, her Chinese heritage, & queer identity.

Olivia started taking piano lessons at age 5 in her home state of Virginia. Her music teacher, an eccentric new age electronic composer, arranged original orchestral compositions that Olivia & her family would perform together on three-tier Electone organ/synths. These early recitals established a sensibility for blissful harmonies into her consciousness from an early age.

After the loss of her mother at age 15, music became a balm & an obsession. She channeled her grief into meditative practice on a synthesizer and looper pedal. In 2008 she moved to the Bay Area & found work as a session musician/producer. Her debut EP, Tiny Strands, was rich with eclectic folk influences & transcendent elegies. Young infused the songs with nostalgic shoegaze guitar, & Kellen’s cinematic production & propulsive beats solidified the ambitious electronic soundscapes. Utilizing vocal looping, lush synthesizers, & ethereal guitar, the band toured regionally, supporting acts like Glass Animals, Baths, Cigarettes After Sex, Astronauts, etc., & Holly Miranda.

Their sophomore album, bathed water moon, encapsulated their evolution. The EP quickly garnered comparisons to the soaring dream pop of Beach House & M83, & the genre-melding of Sufjan Stevens & Porches. In the wake of her beloved aunt’s death, Olivia etched the songs that became their third EP, Great Falls—named after a waterfall system in her hometown where she once retreated to for comfort. It is a reflection on transcendence & family, both chosen & blood.

The band's latest singles, Lightleak & Watersignwave, invoke the daunting task of picking up the pieces of yourself after you’ve overcome a devastating blow. Anthemic mantras promise new beginnings & the distinct possibility of transformation: “light is leaking through the roof, do you feel it?” There’s a new fortitude & clarity in Olivia’s vocal that dances in that fog with a sense of boundless possibility. The result is a profoundly reflective, triumphant set of songs. This music insists on an abundant, exploding hopefulness.

Oakland dream pop
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Olivia Lee
Kellen Balla
Young Lee

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