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ALBUM OF THE DAY
11 FEBRUARY 2026
Owelu Dreamhouse
OWELU DREAMHOUSE
Released 6 February 2026
Hopestreet Recordings
****-
A debut that blends cinematic soul, Afrobeat and psychedelia into a vibrant exploration of identity, diaspora and communal with irresistible rhythmic warmth and candid storytelling .
Owelu Dreamhouse is the collaborative project of vocalist Nkechi Anele and multi-instrumentalist Nic Ryan-Glenie, longtime musical partners from the influential Melbourne soul band Saskwatch. Named in homage to Anele’s Nigerian grandmother’s village of Owaelu, the duo rekindled their creative partnership after a five-year hiatus, aiming to explore cultural heritage and identity through sound. Drawing from cinematic soul, Afrobeat, psychedelia, ’90s R&B and Latin influences, their music reflects both deep musical roots and playful experimentation.
Supported by a community of Melbourne’s most adventurous players, Owelu Dreamhouse announces itself as a rich, multicultural debut that wears its influences proudly while forging fresh territory.
Across twelve tracks, Anele’s warm vocals thread through arrangements that pulse with Afrobeat grooves, soul-psych textures and cinematic sweep.
Growing up as a woman of colour in a predominantly white Australia, Nkechi had fear and hesitation around expressing her Africaness, and Nigerianess. First single “Tourist” touches on the tender dissonance felt as a third-culture kid. Set to lush horns and anchored by steady bass and an organ melody that balances nostalgia with forward motion, the song captures the paradox of diaspora - yearning for home, yet feeling a stranger within it. The music flow is paused momentarily for the raw emotion of spoken word insertions of "Daughter's Always Listening I and II" but "Struggle for Kasawa" offers a triumphant antidote. Elsewhere, “Stutter”, inspired by Manu Dibango’s Soul Makossa, layers a relentless groove with playful vocal riffs and an infectious collective energy and the more contemplative “Niger River” channels emotional depth, using rhythmic metaphor to speak of letting go and moving on.
Links:
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