MUSIC

Angel Olsen Announces New ‘Aisles’ EP and ‘Gloria’ Cover

Angel Olsen has announced that she will be releasing her EP of classic 80s covers titled Aisles. Aisles will mark Olsen's first release on her imprint with Jagjaguwar titled somethingscosmic, named after her first EP, Strange Cacti, from 2010.  Aisles will consist of 5 tracks and will be released on August 20.
Cameron McCool

Angel Olsen has announced that she will be releasing her EP of classic 80s covers titled Aisles. Aisles will mark Olsen’s first release on her imprint with Jagjaguwar titled somethingscosmic, named after her first EP, Strange Cacti, from 2010. Aisles will consist of 5 tracks and will be released on August 20.

Olsen took to Instagram to share her reasons for wanting to cover 80s songs. She reveals that she shared this idea with her friend Adam McDaniel, an engineer and producer based in Asheville, North Carolina. Olsen laments about the hard year that was 2020, and she wanted to salvage some happiness. With music being the best medicine, Olsen decided to share her idea with Adam, telling him that she wanted to cover 80s songs that she overheard while walking down the aisles in grocery stores, hence the EP name.

Olsen then describes that she no longer wanted to record something in a super-serious matter but rather chose to be spontaneous and have fun reimagining these classics. Olsen shared the first track, “Gloria,” on July 8. “Gloria” is Laura Branigan’s signature 1982 hit. The song had been nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Olsen’s version of “Gloria” sounds astronomically different compared to Branigan’s version. Olsen’s version feels hazy and dreamy when compared to Branigan’s upbeat disco-pop energy. Nevertheless, Olsen totally made “Gloria” her very own, impressing audiences.

Aisles features Olsen rocking electric blue eyeshadow, as fans are loving her new wave-inspired look.

After this impressive cover of “Gloria,” we could not be more excited to hear the rest of the Aisles EP. The Aisles EP will also see Olsen covering Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without A Face,” “Safety Dance” (Men Without Hats), “If You Leave” (OMD), and “Forever Young” (Alphaville). You can pre-order Aisles here.