After Ours is the project of Kayla Janowitz, was raised on many different styles of music. Her mother, a classically trained opera singer, performed internationally in Hong Kong, while her brother—whom she describes as “a wizard on guitar,” exposed her to a vast amount of various artists

Her own foray into making music began for her as a teenager performing covers by ear – “I never learned in the traditional way – I learned chords by learning songs first,” Janowitz explains. This instinctive, feeling first approach still defines her original work, where sparse, lyric-driven arrangements foreground her raw, emotional songwriting.

Ours’ new record, Imaginary Friend, will arrive on June 6th via Acrophase/Secretly Canadian Records. Written between New York and Los Angeles, the album was recorded over ten days with Josef Kuhn in his Nashville studio and mixed by Al Carlson (Jessica Pratt, Weyes Blood, Arthur) in New York. Drawing from her wide-ranging influences, Janowitz says, “Every song on this record is so different from the song before or after.” Imaginary Friend explores the intensity of lived experience—layering moments of humor and self-awareness into its emotional core.

Today, Janowitz is sharing,“Congratulations” a tender and personal rendition of MGMT’s 2010 track. Janowitz explains, “Before I started writing my own music, I solely did covers by my favorite artists. It helped me understand music from a non technical POV,” Janowitz explains. ‘Congratulations’ by MGMT has been one of my favorite songs since it came out in 2010. It was always a standout to me in MGMT’s discography, being slower and more stripped down than their usual tracks. Her version joins a tradition she began with her first EP, which included a cover of The Zombies’ “The Way I Feel Inside.” “I always thought it was super cool when artists included a cover in their projects—it shows you a glimpse of their inner world, what inspires them.”

After Ours
maginary Friend
Tracklisting
Acrophase Records/Secretly Canadian

Cherry Ears
One Last Time
Congratulations
I Know You
Met Life
Little Number
Different Now

Pre-order Imaginary Friend by After Ours HERE