Olen Kittelsen has always been “kind of a late bloomer” – and nearly a decade into his music career, he’s ready for his big debut. Making pop music with a personal twist, Olen’s songs run the gamut between boisterous and reflective. The singer/songwriter from Orange County, California has a penchant for spilling his heart out over bright, buoyant melodies: Whether he’s soaring high on a radiant anthem or dwelling in a tender ballad, at the core of his art is a person just trying to make sense of his world. Olen’s debut EP, So CoDependent, finds him coming into his own, both as a human and as an artist. The record opens with the exuberant lead single “Got a Name,” a grand, sweeping pop song with undeniable charm and a blissful, sun-kissed bounce. Within his energetic performance is an earnest search for purpose and understanding: “My parents called me Olen and I’m still trying to figure out what that means to me,” Olen sings, contrasting his inner reckoning with a rousing, singalong chorus hook, “Oh, I’ve got a name.” With Olen, the artist reminds us that self-discovery is ongoing and ever-present, rather than an end in itself. Without a doubt, Olen’s debut EP is the work of a late bloomer coming into full bloom. © Mitch Mosk