'Speaking of Music': Abby Wren

Abby Wren is an Atlanta musician and bandleader of Wren and the Wravens. (Photo credit: Nate Dorn)

Abby Wren is an Atlanta musician and bandleader of Wren and the Wravens. Their unique blend of ambient soul and pop has earned comparisons to Portishead and Lake Street Dive but floats with solid downtempo confidence all its own. Wren has been a vocalist almost her whole life, singing in school and church.

“I remember being a kid in church and just looking around to see who was singing and how they sang,” Wren says. “I knew I had something that was inside me that I needed to explore.”

The featured track “On the Ground” tells a personal story of resilience, evoking Wren’s own experience of overcoming “a hard fall.” Her songwriting often emphasizes ideas of personal growth, love, perseverance and strength through adversity.

Another song, “I Think We Know,” recounts a friend’s true story of keeping a new relationship alive during a period of separation. Her friend traveled to Africa and called his partner from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, offering assurance their love would survive and incidentally getting Abby Wren’s songwriting gears turning.

A chance to see Wren and the Wravens live is coming up on April 23, when they’ll perform at the Inman Park Festival on the Freedom Stage. They’re also appearing on April 30 at Underground Atlanta. More on upcoming performances by the band and ways to listen are available at www.wrenandthewravens.com.