An Unforgettable EP from Ben Gertner
The latest release from Ben Gertner delivers a very welcoming and colorful brand of pop rock that includes so much lush instrumentation and layers of musical texture that it just feels bright and vivacious from start to finish.
One of my favorite aspects about the Drinking Lightning EP is how it's able to blend elements of classic or even vintage rock with a newer approach and do it so seamlessly that it just feels completely natural and builds this amazing atmosphere for you to fall right into.
The record starts with a track called "Cold Calls", which starts off with some great guitar work that is exactly what I mean when I say colorful, but also this amazing synth that comes in and adds a whole different texture or tone to the song along with the new melody as well so you're getting these attributes of in almost classic pop rock approach that is vibrant and that energy is completely addictive.
Keep in mind, again, this is the first track so as soon as you start the record you're getting pulled into this world.
This is also an amazing track to introduce the record with because some of the staples that you hear in this track hold true throughout the EP as well.
The next track is called "Tunnel", and I absolutely adore this one because it's got a vast undertone, making it feel sort of cinematic.
The vocals and even guitars have a little splash of reverb effect on them giving you that depth and expansive soundscape and This lends a hand to how it does actually feel like a track you can hear in the scene of a film.
This is one of the most catchy tracks as well but in a unique way. It seems to blend in these soft elements of Americana to me and I think that may come from the drumming as well as the vocals.
The drumming on this track has a rolling snare thing that it does that really brings a liveliness and a certain kind of drive to the song, but it also brings an element of subtlety and softness to it at the same time.
This is a very well written song but it also feels alive and breathing and grows in intensity as you listen to it and as it comes to those choruses.
Absolutely gorgeous harmonizing vocals that are robust and full-bodied give the track this wonderful vibe and you end up wanting to just hold on to that.
The track that follows is called "Airport bar Beginnings (The Blues)", which is formatted a little differently but still has that sort of deepening cinematic feel to it.
This track has a delayed, pluckier guitar in the vein of U2 songs, and it's got these open chords that go underneath it.
To me, this track has a little bit more edginess or drive to it, and I'm not exactly sure why, because I can't precisely put my finger on it, but it does have a little more punch in a particular way. The tones of the guitars and the way it unfolds must be it.
There's a lot of this great delay effect throughout this track on the guitars, and they do an amazing job of adding those cool sort of layers and letting the song deliver something a bit impactful.
The closing track of the EP, which is one of the best songs is called "Silver Lining?", and this song feels a little bit more personal.
It's got more poignant lyrics when it comes to letting out more inner thought and being a bit more descriptive to those emotions that drive the sentiment of the song.
This song also has a bit of a rolling snare thing to it, and I love this attribute because it lets songs flow a different way.
The energy levels of all of the songs are always amazing.
This EP hit me on so many levels. It just felt good to listen to. It felt personal and authentic while blending and bending genres at free will, but keeping things somewhat familiar at the same time.
There's a lot of inventive songwriting, and I feel like it was built with fewer boundaries than what you may be used to, which was quite a beautiful thing to experience.
I definitely loved all of these tracks and feel like this record speaks volumes for Ben as an artist and as a song writer.
This is someone who truly puts a lot of love into their craft and knows how to build a song, create an atmosphere, and put little pieces of himself into his music.
You should experience this for yourself. It's an awesome record.
Take a deep dive into this one and see what it does for you.
