Taleen Kali has been a mainstay of LA’s rock scene for years now. Having once co-fronted the Echo Park band TÜLIPS, she’s about to strike out on her own with a debut solo EP this summer called Soul Songs. She got some help in the form of producer Kristin Gundred — aka Kristin Kontrol/fka Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls — and the two make a lot of sense together. Both come from rock backgrounds but have recently been delving into slicker, poppier forms. For Kali’s part, her new EP promises to have a broad mixture of genres, and found her experimenting with synths as well as some less-than-expected options like “sound healing instruments such as Meinl angel tuning forks and singing bowls.”

As an initial preview of Soul Songs, Kali has shared its lead single “Half Lie.” Here’s what she had to say about the track:

“Half Lie” is about the half truths we hear from others, and the lies we tell ourselves … I wrote it for anybody who’s “caught in time” in that moment of awareness, transition, or indecision … when we realize we need to break free or change in order to grow.

Musically, “Half Lie” is a charging, giddily infectious track, toeing that line between post-punk propulsion and new wave sheen. The whole thing is colorful and addicting, but it’s the chorus that really lingers — Kali takes a few unexpected turns in the melody there, bringing to mind a handful of forebears but especially, in a particular moment, Debbie Harry. The overall result is a very promising introduction to Soul Songs. Check it out below.

TRACKLIST:

01 “Bluets”
02 “Lost & Bound”
03 “Half Lie”
04 “Miles Away”
05 “Evil Eye II”

CREDIT: Kristin Cofer

Soul Songs is out 6/22 via Lolipop Records. Pre-order it here.