You could say that, though the very act of making music, August Benjamin has inherited the family business. Having spent his formative years soaking up the sights and sounds, the artistry and creativity of the craft as he watched his father play in the local band scene, music was certainly always in his blood. By 2023, he was writing in earnest, both writing his own songs and finishing his father’s song ideas and sketches that never saw the light of day.
Last year, he took these songs into a studio and, through a series of on-the-spot, unrehearsed, in-the-moment sessions with the great and good of the roots and rock world, fashioned his eponymous debut album. ‘Surrender’ is a taste of that album to come.
For an album that wanders between rootsy finesse and rawer rock and roll moves, ‘Surrender’ seems to sit between the two worlds, a blend of alt-country cool and folky finesse with just enough energy to push it into slightly more rock and roll territory. Fiddles breeze through, mandolins duet with guitars, and a tale of love and loss and hard and heartfelt goodbyes plays out.
Singles have a multi-tasking job to do; engage the potential fan, make the listener want to know more, tease the audience, test the water, lay out a calling card, and hopefully make them buy the album to follow. On the strength of ‘Surrender,’ November 13th, the album’s release day, can’t come fast enough.