BENEE Is An Existential Lover Girl
Photo Credit: Supplied
After skyrocketing to fame with her hit single ‘Supalonely’ back in 2020, New Zealand born artist BENEE has continued to prove herself as an alt-pop powerhouse in the music industry, moving from strength to strength touring the globe with artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Tate Mcrae and Conan Gray. Some critiques online have pinned her as a one-hit-wonder, but with her sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles released today, BENEE has more than proven she is anything but.
When asked to describe the album, BENEE offers “It sounds like a mental breakdown to me” (she laughs) “It’s the cycle of some kind of breakdown where you have all of those different phases of emotions that lead to some strange sense of relief. You know, once you've had a big cry, you can take a deep breath”. And she’s right, Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, is a meticulously crafted soundscape of a hot girl crash out. “I've been a lot more deliberate with making it (the album) and wanting to tell a story, I am trying to say something in a package, And I think that it really does that when you listen top to bottom”.
The album title, Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, BENEE says is a lyric written some years ago, “It just felt really fitting, angel gives me ethereal vibes, kind of fantastical. And then the particles reminded me of science, an earthy realness. I felt like that explained everything really well, because it's very existential, it's asking these big questions that I don't really know how to answer about the world”. After moving to the states, BENEE admits to feeling isolated and alone a lot of the time, “I had a lot of lonely time to be in my thoughts, and that led to me just asking so many questions about life. I think there's something really beautiful about not knowing”.
Opening track Demons is a self-aware and sultry exploration of obsession. “That's usually how some kind of emotional cycle of mine starts. It’s the feeling of being taken over by some kind of demon, when I'm so fixated on a sick idea that it feels so stupid in the moment, but I can't control myself or get myself out of it.” The juxtaposition of subject matter alongside BENNE’s heavenly vocals plunges you into her emotional vulnerability and extraordinary world building, making it the perfect introduction to the album.
A surprising element of the album is BENEE’s collaboration with filmmaker Matt Castellanos (who collaborated on Steve Lacey’s 2022 album Gemini Rights), “He started in the film world and now helps artists in their storytelling. Everyone's so used to having other songwriters in to collaborate. But I'm so protective of my words and of my music. He's a really unique guy and a really good energy to have in the room”. With the help of Castellanos, the album moves seamlessly through the plethora of emotions it explores.
Underwater, is a hyper-pop cry for help, analyzing the disconnect of the internal and external. My head is underwater / a puddle full of my tears / it could make a river / wouldn’t even matter / why don’t you see me //. The track lays bare the weight of putting on a facade for those around you, even though you feel like you’re barely holding on.
It’s not all doom and gloom however, Animal, is a playful existentialism anthem. Exploring our insignificance and how our situations can feel world ending, but in reality we are just dots in the universe. BENEE even teasingly comments on her own success, And you can't stay mad at me / I'm just an animal / A micro-celebrity / But I mean nothing at all //. The track, although analysing what it means to be alive, remains a light-hearted reminder that we are all just specs on a floating rock doing our best to get by. Accompanying the track is a visually hypnotic music video. Playing with physical proportions, textures and stacked full of iconic fashion moments to create some serious y2k nostalgia.
Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is an exploration of obsession, chaos, existentialism and assent. BENEE’s ethereal vocals, raw vulnerability, eclectic and genre blending production immerses you deep into the heart of being in your 20’s. Where it can feel so heavy and oftentimes hopeless. Designed to be listened to from top to bottom, It’s an album that saturates the soul, providing solace for the overthinkers, the romantics and the curious.
Listen to Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles HERE and catch BENEE at her Laneway sideshows in February! Tickets on sale NOW!