Ben Kidson—somewhere between asleep and awake

While not specifically post punk, there are enough of those sensibilities here to fuse nicely with an overall indie pop sound. Predominantly spoken vocals sit over strong, insistent drum beats, and there is something instantly infectious about Ben Kidson's overall sound. It gives me much the same feeling of excitement I had when I first discovered The Streets through "A Grand Don't Come for Free". There is a similar ability to take everyday observations and turn them into something that feels both immediate and strangely compelling.

The album opens with "back on the apps", a social commentary on the current dating scene, which fortunately I've never had to wade my way through. The lyrics are observational, but there is a feel of honesty to them that stops this from simply being social commentary from the sidelines. Add a cool guitar refrain and a rhythm that just pulls you along, and this is pure magic. It's a very strong opening track and immediately establishes what makes Ben's approach so appealing.

Opening with the barest hint of clarinet, "shiver" continues in much the same vein, this time with bass guitar working in partnership with the relentless drum beat. There is something almost hypnotic about the combination, and you can't help but be swept along by it. The arrangement is deceptively simple, but it leaves plenty of space for the words to remain front and centre.

With "mortified" I was reminded of the great punk poet John Cooper Clarke. I think where the previous two tracks scan more like spoken vocals, here the metre is much more poetic. The break provides a welcome change from the vocals, a lighter refrain that gives the overall track a nice balance. I especially like the conversational retorts, which add another layer of texture and make the song feel almost like an overheard conversation.

There's something familiar about the bass line on "first place". I suppose it's simple enough that it has probably appeared in 101 songs before, but it immediately evokes that sense of familiarity. There's very much a similar feel to the first two tracks, but rather than becoming repetitive, it still sounds fresh and manages to establish its own identity. The lyrics in particular weave an interesting tale, and you can't help but feel the resentment, and perhaps a little sorrow, behind the situation being described.

Things take a slight turn with "meet me in the bathroom". This is a more uptempo track, but the lyrical delivery doesn't feel any faster paced. There's also a more conventional sung chorus, which at first comes as something of a surprise, but it adds another dimension to the track. It gives the album a little more diversity without ever feeling like a jarring departure from what has come before.

The influence seeps over into "plastic", which has a much more rock oriented guitar accompaniment, giving the track a distinctly 90s flavour. It's fast paced and ends almost as quickly as it begins, which isn't surprising given its two minute ten- econd running time. But you don't feel cheated when it finishes. If anything, you're left wanting a little more, which is often the mark of well written pop.

The album closes with "single for a month", which is very much an acoustic track. Much slower, more sedate and a little more reflective, it provides a welcome change of pace after what has been a fairly energetic album. For me, this is the perfect way to end proceedings. Rather than trying to finish with a big statement, Ben lets things breathe, leaving the listener with something quieter to take away.

While it's only a seven track album, this was a great find and yet another example of the huge amount of talent that's out there waiting to be discovered. I discovered Ben via Instagram, and just a 30-second soundbite was enough to prompt me to investigate his releases. Thankfully, he had a recent album waiting for me to discover.

That's one of the things I love about music at the moment. You can stumble across an artist you've never heard of, hear half a minute of a song on social media and suddenly find yourself disappearing down a rabbit hole of their back catalogue. Ben Kidson was one of those discoveries for me, and this album certainly justified the investigation.