‘I’m Okay, Life Goes On, I Don’t Mind’ Song Review

Kelso is the solo project of Camp Cope’s bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich. Her dream-pop sound is different from what fans have previously known her for in Camp Cope. Instead of indie rock, she is filling listeners with dreamscapes of Sydney, her youthful voice, and a calming backdrop of drums and guitar. Her new single “It’s Okay, Life Goes On, I Don’t Mind” sets the scene for her upcoming EP Always a Godmother, Never a God which is out October fourth with Poison City Records. 

What draws me into her music is the vulnerability. Hellmrich’s silvery voice is on display, sending you flying over the instrumentals. Her soft-spoken vocals have a youthful tone as she sings a duet with herself. You’re kept on your toes as the saxophone flows through the hazy background created by a basic drum beat, gong-like cymbals, and long notes in the guitars. “It’s Okay, Life Goes On, I Don’t Mind” ends with a fade-out until the veil of the recording studio is pulled away and we hear Hellmrich laugh saying, “yeah.”

Hellmrich posted a teaser of her unreleased songs. “There’s a diss track, there’s a love song for someone who won’t listen to it, there’s a song about having bad mental health and not being able to talk about it, and there’s that song about me drunk in the toilet again,” wrote Hellmrich on Instagram stories. “Oh God There Is So Much Love In Me” is the sweet song witten drunk on the floor of a toilet stall. Hellmrick speaks from the heart without warping her truth to sound more appealing. Her transparent lyrics are what drew her listeners in and what caught them in the trap of an upcoming album. 

Review By: Natalie Francisco