BENEE drops a new EP, Lychee that's already causing a stir. RAIN first spoke to her in an exclusive interview around her first release, Fire on Marzz. This EP shows BENEE's slower and somber side over seven groovy and authentic tracks.
Lychee
BENEE describes Lychee as a "big mix up of tracks...inspired by the thoughts that are always jangling around my brain; I find it really hard to switch off! I’ve spent a lot of time by myself thinking about my friends, my relationships, and my place in this crazy mixed up world we are living in."
There is something crazy about landing in LA from New Zealand and throwing yourself into songwriting. The exact same thing happened for me two years ago when I arrived in LA and wrote ‘Supalonely’ on the first day. I love that this EP has the emotional breadth to channel much of the anxiety that I was feeling at home in songs like ‘Doesn’t Matter’ and ‘Hurt You Gus’ but then also switching to the new energy I found when writing ‘Beach Boy’ as well as ‘Never Ending’ which is my current favourite!”
BENEE
Take a listen below!
Songlist
Doesn't Matter is a pretty personal song about my OCD, and in it I’m really wondering what it would be like if I didn’t have such high levels of anxiety.
Hurt You Gus is about caring for someone a lot but not being able to give yourself to them entirely. I feel like I can never really fully open up and become vulnerable in a romantic relationship. I wrote this song at the start of my last relationship when I felt like I was pushing away a bit.
I love that Make You Sick is soooo different to anything else I've done. I used it to open my live shows in NZ and it still gives me goosebumps. I was really able to just do whateva with this song & it feels like a journey listening to it! I had a lot of fun coming up with all the different parts to this one.
Never Ending is one of my personal favorites on the EP, it's a totally different sound for me. Rostam is an amazing producer, I love his ear for alternative flavours!
My time in LA was a whirlwind culture shock, but it was so rewarding. It was crazy to work with such inspiring and talented new people, and I was able to explore new styles and genres and really shake up my creative processes.
I so hope you like it :) This is Lychee.