The War On Drugs’ keyboardist Robbie Bennett is set to release two albums on December 11th & lead single ‘Sister’ offers a glimpse into Bennett’s open-ended world.
Ahead of the release of his forthcoming albums, ‘Steloken‘ and ‘Circulation‘, Robbie Bennett has described wanting the music to feel like walking through an unfamiliar place, one that is open-ended and evolving. ‘Sister’ offers a glimpse of this intention, with a delicate piano motif sitting above an undulating bed of hazy synth that drifts nervously in and out of the mix. Such a contrast creates a shifting dynamic between certainty and unease, and suggests a more experimental direction for The War on Drugs keyboardist.
Compared with his solo debut, ‘Permanent World‘, which made greater use of percussion and bass, ‘Sister’ feels spacious and suspended. Delicate sonic layering and extended reverb tails allow notes to linger, and gentle synth swells establish a restrained melancholic atmosphere. Rather than building towards a crescendo, the track’s momentum comes from the subtle changes in texture that continually reframe the melody, gradually resulting in a quiet sense of resolution.
Such openness fits with Bennett’s account of composing the two records. He has described building the tracks layer by layer in real time, operating the piano and synth simultaneously, whilst also embracing mistakes and aspects that make him feel uncomfortable. Here uncertainty has become a source of expression, rather than an imperfection to be eliminated.
‘Sister’ is ideal for a listener drawn to atmospheric piano and patient, headphone listening. It offers a possible glimpse into ‘Steloken‘’s musical palette and suggests that Bennett’s compositional wanderings have taken him into new territory – somewhere well worth exploring.
Robbie Bennett shall be releasing two albums ‘Steloken‘ and ‘Circulation‘ on December 11th.
Listen to ‘Sister‘ here:
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