Kelly Reynolds Wants You to Dance: Stream "Live A Little" Now

Kelly Reynolds wrote her new single as a class assignment. She got an A. The song is better than that story makes it sound.

"Live A Little" is the lead single from her debut album Unbound, and it's the kind of summer love song that doesn't announce itself so much as just appear in your body somewhere around the first chorus. Reynolds — Spring Lake, New Jersey born, Asbury Park made — wrote it outside in the September sun during her first year at Princeton, roommates nearby, words tumbling onto the page faster than expected. She built the demo herself, layered instrumentation over her own acoustic guitar and vocals, then handed it to producer Rob Tanico to finish. Honestly, that tracks.

What makes Reynolds worth paying attention to isn't just the single — it's the arc behind it. Unbound spans years of writing, from the self-conscious teenage doubt of opener "Stone Statue" through young love and heartbreak and a bossa nova detour on "This Ain't Love," all the way to a wedding song she wrote for her big brother. It's a document of someone figuring out who they are, song by song. Reynolds recently made her live television debut on Good Day New York, but her roots go deeper — she cut her teeth at Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park, worked her way through open mics and street fairs, and eventually found herself on stages like The Stone Pony. It shows in how she carries a melody. Nothing oversold. She's clearly been listening to a lot of Norah Jones, Olivia Dean, Lizzy McAlpine, and Eloise — artists who don't rush the quiet parts — and it shows.

"Live A Little" is the right place to start. Stream it below.

For more info head to Kelly's website.