Connor Kelly and the Time Warp's Trippy Debut
Connor Kelly & the Time Warp | Avery Adzima
“We need more bands,” Connor Kelly said.
Kelly is back with a new sound, a new project, and his same old talent. Stepping away from working under his name as a solo artist, Kelly is moving forward with his bandmates Benjamin Kelly, and Aiden Lamb under the name Connor Kelly and the Time Warp. The drummer on the upcoming recordings is G. Maxwell.
“We live in a time of a lot of solo artists,” Kelly said. “When you think of all the big names in music right now, they’re just one person. But really there’s a whole team of people behind them.”
The Time Warp, a clear homage to the famous dance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, is just a more formal establishment of the group’s involvement with Kelly’s music. The Kelly duo has worked and toured with each other for years now and are just beginning this phase with a more refined aesthetic and goal.
“As a band, we’re trying to bring back the old age of rock and roll,” Kelly said. “We’re trying to warp time in our work and bring in influences from past decades.”
The group’s first single, “Distant Forest,” is the title track of their upcoming album that will be released next spring. An old time Kelly listener will recognize his familiar airy vocals alongside some rhythmic similarities to his past work, but this new project has heavier rock influences.
“Distant Forest” also reveals a maturity of Kelly’s lyricism as he shifts into exploring deeper metaphors and creating rich sonic scenery, “Soon they’ll come to take me to travel far/ There’s a new home awaiting in the stars.”
The extraterrestrial vibes are heavy in this track and seem to hint at a concept album that expands on similar ideas of space and time. Where Kelly’s last album, Informal Conversations leaves you feeling like you’re kicking it on the beach, The Time Warp presents a whole new universe ready for you to explore.
“The underlying message that ties the album together is the hypothetical idea that once earth is no longer habitable for humans, we have to find a new planet,” Kelly said. “It’s about leaving something behind and starting something new.”
While the group is planning this album's release and subsequent tour, they're already brainstorming their next album. The pandemic pushed pause on the record's release and in turn, The Time Warp has been waiting to share this album and its videos with their audience for nearly two years now.
Connor Kelly and the Time Warp marks a new era that is characterized by what has made Kelly’s success stand out for all these years: charm. The Time Warp promises a debut of the group’s true exploratory creativity. So strap in for the ride. After all, “It’s been so long, the tide has turned.”
Until next time,
Rocka out