https://kristenraebowden.com/store
https://kristenraebowden.bandcamp.com/track/hard-to-love

Calling her new music “Mellow/Dramatic”, singer-songwriter Kristen Rae Bowden dips her toes into indie pop with the release of her new single “Hard to Love”. Released as a dark joke on Valentines day, “Hard to Love” features an old-school sounding synth and a muted heartbeat of electronic drums while exploring an old story that never gets old: the fear of falling in love again. In a departure from her debut album’s solidly acoustic soundscape, Bowden uses new textures to represent a new feeling of isolation and anxiety in full adulthood.“I felt my life had gone from color into black and white… the opposite of the wizard of oz. Dorothy, you’re not in your twenties anymore.” Her layered vocals are sweet and salty, her lyrics both cynical and confessional, as she walks the line between taking herself too seriously and laughing her way out of it. In the end, it’s the anthemic music that reminds us to do the same.

Hard To Love

Kristen Rae Bowden is a confessional storyteller whose songs lay bare her most intimate feelings. Her new single “Marry Me Once” is a stately piano ballad imbued with sweet self-confidence and hard-won self knowledge, as she explains her choice to remain unmarried. A smooth-as-velvet vocal melody dances over the calming, liquid tones of a grand piano as Bowden sings to us with quiet defiance: “it’s taken a long road / to feel like I can stand alone / and when I carry a heavy load / all I think about is going home / and I know you mean it / but what can I say?/ I’m afraid of being needed / and of losing my own way.”  With an indie-folk soundscape as fresh and warm as spring sunshine, “Marry Me Once”  proves that self-sufficiency can be romantic, and true fulfillment can come from within.

Marry Me Once

Fault Lines

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Piano: Kristen Rae Bowden
Fiddles: Richard Bowden
Fiddle: Cleek Schrey

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

My Father's Daughter

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Piano/Synths/Melodica: Kristen Rae Bowden
Trumpets: John D'Earth
Fretless Bass/Backing Guitar: Mark Graham
Drums: Darrell Moran

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Honey Bee

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Harmonies/Piano: Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocal Harmonies: Amy LeeLani Bowden
Fiddle: Richard Bowden
Mandolin: Andy Thacker
Bass/Acoustic Guitar: Mark Graham
Drums: Darrell Moran

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Party On The Mountain

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Piano/Acoustic Guitar: Kristen Rae Bowden
Fiddle: Richard Bowden
Mandolin: Andy Thacker

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Solid Ground Echo

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Piano: Kristen Rae Bowden
Lead Guitar: Ian Gilliam
Cello: Kevin Davis
Bass/Backing Guitars: Mark Graham
Drums: Darrell Moran

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Runaway (My Beating Heart)

A few years ago, I crossed Death Valley in a 1976 Cadillac with my lover. It was a supermoon that night, hanging low over Las Vegas. The stark desert seemed to glow; meteors streaked across the sky. 
Our relationship was ending, my lover and I. We both knew it in our hearts, but said nothing. 
I felt myself trying to hold on to each moment as it raced past, too fast, like the pavement beneath our wheels. And while it was ending, I prayed for it to last "Forever, Please".

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Piano/Synths: Kristen Rae Bowden
Fiddle/Vocal Harmonies: Amy LeeLani Bowden
Lead Guitar: David French
Bass: Mark Graham
Drums: Darrell Moran

Recording Credits~
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Forever, Please

Musician Credits~
Music and Lyrics by Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocals/Harmonies/Piano/Synths: Kristen Rae Bowden
Vocal Harmonies: Amy LeeLani Bowden
Lead Guitar: Ian Gilliam
Bass: Mark Graham
Drums: Darrell Moran

Recording Credits~
Written and Produced by Kristen Rae Bowden
Recorded at The Sound in Charlottesville, VA/Engineered by Mark Graham
Additional Engineering by Rob Evans at Haunted Hollow, Charlottesville VA
Synths Recorded by Kristen in her Living Room
Mixed by Micah Wilshire in Nashville TN
Mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound

Doesn't Make Sense

“Kristen Rae Bowden has the richness of style to carry a meaningful song like this. She has an inherent feel for the profound in all three: her lyrics, and the nuance of her vocals and playing.” - Melissa Clarke, Americana Highways
New Single "HARD TO LOVE" 2/14/23
Calling her new music “Mellow/Dramatic”, singer-songwriter Kristen Rae Bowden dips her toes into indie pop with the release of her new single “Hard to Love”. Released as a dark joke on Valentines day, “Hard to Love” features an old-school sounding synth and a muted heartbeat of electronic drums while exploring an old story that never gets old: the fear of falling in love again. In a departure from her debut album’s solidly acoustic soundscape, Bowden uses new textures to represent a new feeling of isolation and anxiety in full adulthood.“I felt my life had gone from color into black and white… the opposite of the wizard of oz. Dorothy, you’re not in your twenties anymore.” Her layered vocals are sweet and salty, her lyrics both cynical and confessional, as she walks the line between taking herself too seriously and laughing her way out of it. In the end, it’s the anthemic music that reminds us to do the same. 

Kristen Rae Bowden is a piano-centric singer-songwriter armed with salty-sweet vocals and an inherent feel for the profound. Her 11-song debut, Language And Mirrors, snapshots nostalgic moments of rugged rural life and bracing jolts of adventure. It’s an electrifying yin yang collection of roots rock and stately orchestral rock that lyrically reveals the singer-songwriter’s fiery blend of sensitivity and strength. Her artistry brims with clever metaphorical turns of phrases, raw emotionality, and imaginative musical arrangements. In performance she exudes white-knuckle passion, pounding the sh#& out of her piano while sharing her majestic musicality.