ALBUM REVIEW: Benee releases debut album 'Hey u x'
Words: Jett Tattersall
Image: Harry Were
Joyus, honest, and playfully reflective purred understanding is Benee. Her smashingly delicious debut EP Fire on Marzz encapsulated all her pop-hooked mind sherbet while the follow-up Stella & Steve was just as immersive. It shouldn’t come as any surprise then that the singer-songwriter’s long-awaited debut LP, Hey u x, out today, is an infectiously exposed ass-kick into her world, one punctuated with multiple dance breaks.
The gorgeous thirteen-track set, peppered with some delectable collaborations, pours forth buckets of self-awareness, desire, loss, and soldiering on in the face of disappointment, all chanted to some wonderfully eclectic melodies.
Addressing herself seems to be the theme of the album as Benee continues to explore and examine moments in love and life from unlikely angles. Lead track ‘Happen To Me’, a sombre guitar layered lullaby listing some of the fears that haunt Benee’s thoughts ‘I think about these things / and I don’t get a lot of sleep, cos what if they happen to me’ a song made even all the more flawless by her soothing music-box voice.
‘Plain’ is the delectable collaboration with cross-global sheroes Lily Allen and Flo Milli. Sung over a romantic melody of a daydreamy guitar hook and delicious beat, Benee pulls punches at her ex and herself for still being hooked on their relationship. “You and your friends watching me / Knowing I’m better than you’ll ever be”. Flo Milli’s joyfully powerhouse rap, the perfect counter to Allen’s distinguished vocals melting effortlessly alongside Benee, so akin they could have been cut from the same thread.
Bass-heavy, boot-stomping strut funk full of attitude and voyeuristic pride is ‘Kool’. Benne’s voice pulsing along the octaves from a nostalgic house-party as she hero-worships her cool-crush from across the crowded room. The delicious contrast of lyrics and melodic composition is so good Bennee inadvertently finds her kool crown in the brutally thoughtful twinges of insecurity.
‘If I Get To Meet You’ has us reeling in the clouds from a blissful first meet as Benee sings our heart-struck walk home. “If I get to meet you will you tell your friends about us / Can't seem to figure you out and still these words spill out from my mouth” Benee daydreams, worries and soothes as she reminds us that vulnerability doesn’t have to hurt. The albums closer, ‘C U’, is the quintessential ‘thanks for the memories’ anthem of farewell affection. Both gems champion the beauty in insecurity, where self-doubt and hopeful projection are only ever served with kindness and a shared smile.
Benee has one hell of a perspective, this, hand-in-hand with her lyrical and vocal dexterity making her one hell of an artist. Those meltingly observant details across Hey u x add up to its distinct world, a versatile album that, for all its chapters, still plays out like an incredibly succinct body of work. Embodying a fresh and personable mantra to all listeners that sometimes the worst of times can bring out the biggest smiles and the best in all of us.
