Posted by Rising UK songwriter Karl Benjamin toasts the release of his ‘DRIST’ EP by chatting to Clash.
Out now, it caps a string of fantastic singles, tracks marked by a rare degree of innovation and emotional honesty.
Delving deep into his soul, each song feels like a message from Karl Benjamin to the outside world, a means of escaping himself in the process.
‘DRIST’ EP – the title stands for Deep Rooted Insecurities and Shy Tendencies – is the culmination of this process, with Karl sketching out his identity.
Moving from love and loss to fear of the future, it’s a brave and eclectic listen, one that features production from big-hitters such as Courage, PRGRSHN and Dan Holloway.
“Being trapped in the house with my own thoughts for so long has really shown me how much this word means to me,” Karl states. “I’m an antisocial extrovert that’s had the time to analyse their own DRIST, and in doing so, I’m slowly understanding myself & my cerebellum more each day. I wrote this Ep with my DRIST in mind. I hope it reaches those with similar thought patterns to mine.”
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‘Apricot Sky’
‘Apricot Sky’ was my acknowledgement of something greater than me. Something that could have improved or destroyed my life as it was. Everybody has their own Apricot Sky and a lot of the time, it just takes leaving your comfort zones to find it.
‘Moon’
My experience of falling in love, and realising that the journey getting there is just as important as the destination itself.
‘Mortal’
A realisation of finite life. 23 was a weird age for me, I had a lot of different energies and thoughts to deal with that year. Writing this song was a very important moment for me. It almost forced me to be more appreciative of the time I have on this planet. And this song is how I felt in a nutshell.
‘Friends’
This song is about one of my biggest fears. Losing those around me and not truly appreciating their presence like I should. A message to my day 1’s that I love them and they keep me standing upright, even tho I don’t always show it.
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‘DRIST’ EP is out now.
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