Corey Bowen may currently reside in the relative depths of obscurity (in no way a reference to his hometown Middlesbrough, of course), however we predict a sudden rise in fortune for this accomplished young musician.

His debut EP Midnight Dolphins, set for release this November, is the ideal vehicle for Bowen to alert the world to his presence – listen to lead single If the Birds Wish to Fly, Let Them Fly and we defy you not to feel a rhythmic twitch in your big toe as the warped groove bounces with a fatigued saunter. A psychedelic wide-eyed romanticism fizzles in Bowen’s lyrics, ‘Take a piece of my heart / But don’t break it / Or we could go from the start / Spinning round in your head / Can I make it / Feel like we’re in the dark’, as the song slowly comes into focus through a soapy kaleidoscope viewpoint.

Comparisons to Mac Demarco have been flung around due to a shared laid back sound – and a strong passion for hats – yet Bowen’s music deserves it’s own spotlight. His blend of psych backing and pulsating rhythm drifts fits snug, gathering pace with a sprightly joie de vivre.

There’s no doubt that Bowen’s killer support slot with indie god Christopher Owens on his upcoming UK tour this November will have a big impact on this rising talent’s ascent. Bowen may have only recently breached the 200 Facebook ‘Likes’ mark, but when you can name Christopher Owens as a fan it’s definitely a matter of quality over quantity.

Alex James Taylor: So your debut EP Midnight Dolphins comes out next month, you excited? How long has it been since you finished recording it?
Corey Bowen: I am super excited. It’s strange for me because all those songs have been sitting on my laptop for a while. I recorded all of them between April and June of this year so yeah, it’s pretty strange. It feels good to finally have them coming out but they don’t feel like new songs to me!

AT: You’re releasing it on cassette, how come you chose this format? There seems to be a real cassette revival happening at the moment.
CB: Yeah, there is a real revival going on and I love it. I think, with the state of the industry at the minute, physical music is something that is dissapearing really quickly and music to people is now an MP3 on their iPhone or whatever. It kinda takes the excitement away from it, having it on a plate for you like that. I love the excitment of waiting for an album to come out and then buying the record, not to mention that music sounds so much better on vinyl and cassette. It just feels a lot more real if that makes sense, so I guess releasing it on cassette was a little statement against the MP3 heads! And, of course, Sammy from Sexx Tapes, the label releasing the cassette, was kind enough to support my ideas.

AT: And why the name Midnight Dolphins?
CB: It’s a term that I have had in my head for months. I always thought that it would be the name of my band or whatever, which it now is, and then it became this sort of brand to me. Everything that I did I would relate to this Midnight Dolphins thing I had in my head, so to answer the question, I guess I don’t even know myself why I chose that name! I don’t know where I came up with it, how I came up with it, anything. I just thought it would be a nice idea to call the EP that and it links in with the band name, I guess it’s like a small cult!

AT: How involved in the recording process are you?
CB: Well I am the only person involved in the recording. I write and record all the music alone in my bedroom. I started home recording when I was really young, just demos of songs I had wrote and stuff, then I got hooked on it. I have been in professional studios with people in the past and it has just never really worked the way I wanted it to. Maybe I have worked with the wrong people, I don’t know, but for now I am pretty comfortable with the way I record. The funny thing is I still have very little knowledge about studio equipment, but the music always ends up sounding how I want it to sound, for the most part anyway. The songs on the EP were part of a huge group of songs I recorded earlier this year. I wasn’t really aiming for anything, I was just having fun, then I ended up putting 5 of them together for a demo I put on the internet for a free download and people seemed to really like it, then people started getting in touch, so it was pretty crazy having these internet music people get in touch with me because they really liked the songs. I never really saw them going anywhere, I was just messing about with the gear I had bought, but yeah, it turned out pretty good in the end.

AT: How long have you been making music for under your own name?
CB: I have been making music under my own name since I started writing songs when I was about 13. Ever since the beginning I always thought of myself as a songwriter, and I always knew that, at some point, I would want to present my work as mine, under my name. I just think it takes that barrier away between the band and the listener if they know your real name or whatever. I have only been releasing music under my own name for about a year or so, but yeah, I have been making music as myself for as long as I can remember!

AT: Were you previously in any bands?
CB: Yeah, I was in a bunch of bands when I was younger. It was never anything too serious, just me and my friends having fun with our instruments, but it was good because that’s all it was. There was no pressure from anyone to make anything, we were just having fun, playing gigs around Middlesbrough. I guess I learned a lot from those experiences though, it helped me to understand a lot.

AT: Do you find that songwriting comes easily for you?
CB: Yeah and no. They come in flurries. I will have a week where I come out with so much material and get so much recorded, then I will have a week where I find it so hard to be creative. I think it comes from this issue I have where, if I write a song I really like, or record a demo I am really into, I find it so hard to live up to it on the next song I write, or the next demo I record. I am a perfectionist, of sort, so if there is one little thing off about a song or a demo I really beat myself up over it. I can’t help it, it’s just the way I work, but when I stumble across a bunch of songs in my head, it’s a great feeling.

AT: So what music are you into? Is there anyone who has recently caught your attention?
CB: I am into so much music at the minute, it’s a really hard question to answer. I have been listening to Eagulls’ last album a lot recently. They are really good, they have this real British angst-y charm about them which I can relate to. Where they are from isn’t far from where I’m from. They really capture this energy that Northern England seems to harvest, it’s great. Other than that I love Ariel Pink’s new song and I am looking forward to hearing his new album. Aside from those, my guitarist, Eden, has this band called Cape Feare. I saw them play their first show just the other week and they sounded great. They haven’t got anything on the internet yet but I think it’s something me and Eden and the guys are gonna work on later this year.

AT: You’re supporting Christopher Owens next month on his UK tour, how have you been preparing for that?
CB: It’s been pretty crazy to be honest. I am still in complete awe that it’s happening, it hasn’t sunk in yet. I am still trying to sort out logistics and stuff, I don’t have a manager or a booking agency or anything so I am sorting everything out myself and it’s proving pretty stressy, but it will all be worth it. We have been rehearsing and putting stuff together for about a month now and it’s going great, we’re all super excited and I am so grateful to Chris for giving us the opportunity. I am a huge fan of his work and I know they say never meet your hero and all that stuff, but we talk and he seems like a really nice guy. He knows what he’s talking about and yeah, I am just real grateful that he has gave me this opportunity.

AT: Do you have your own band for live shows? Or is it just you?
CB: Yeah, I got a live band together. Eden Calgie on lead guitar, Darren Howell on bass and Jenny Dixon on drums. They are three people really close to my heart and I have a lot of time for each of them. They are some of my best friends and I am really happy that they are coming along with me.

AT: What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
CB: Really tough question, I’ve seen a bunch of amazing gigs. I saw Chris play in Leeds with my girlfriend last year, that was amazing. I saw this band, Tonstartssbandht, they opened for Mac DeMarco in Manchester earlier this year. They were totally insane. Two brothers, guitar and drums, it was crazy, you should check them out if you haven’t heard them. Other than that I saw A$AP Rocky at Leeds Festival last year, and Ferg came onstage halfway through and it was amazing. Those are some of my favourite gigs.

AT: I also saw that you have merchandise on the way, what can we expect?
CB: Due to me having next to nothing in my bank account at all times I am sticking with Midnight Dolphins t-shirts for now. I like the idea of having merchandise, it’s a timeless way of showing your support for a band or artist or whatever, it’s cool. I really wanna make a load of different merch over time but yeah, for now, t-shirts! I am going to say they will be available to buy on the tour but it’s not set in stone.

AT: From your Twitter feed I gather that you’re a pretty keen football fan, you support Middlesbrough right? Talk me through your footballing predictions for this season…
CB: That’s right, I am a huge Middlesbrough fan. We’re having a good season so far, Karanka knows what he’s doing, he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the squad and he utilises what and who we have at the club. I am really confident that we will fight for promotion this season. Going on how I’ve seen us play so far we are looking like one of the strongest sides in the league for what I think seems like a long time to most Boro fans, so yeah, it’s all looking up. Viva Kike!

AT: Ever thought about writing your own football chant? That could be the next EP.
CB: Aside from the old playground chants I have never thought of writing my own. Not a bad idea, I must say. I’ll get back to you on that one!

Midnight Dolphins by Corey Bowen is out 10th November on Sexx Tapes. You can preorder it on his Bandcamp here, and find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Corey supports Christopher Owens 18th November at The Lantern, Bristol. Tickets here.