Benjamin Francis Leftwich has released a brand new single, ‘New York’, taken from his forthcoming album ‘Some Things Break’.
The song originally came from a writing session with labelmate The 1975’s Matty Healy when Ben first began writing tracks for the album. Benjamin played an early version to Healy, who quickly became such a big fan of the song that he asked Ben’s permission to perform it at a one-off show opening for Phoebe Bridgers in 2021. Footage of that performance went viral; as such, it is one of the most anticipated tracks from Benjamin’s new album – both for fans of his and The 1975.
Of the inspiration behind the song, Benjamin explains:
“New York’ is a song about running to big shiny cities for big shiny things, but being lonelier than ever. For me it’s kind of about missing the simple humanity and imperfections of the things one can convince themselves to run from. Every time I’ve ever chosen to chase a rainbow for a pot of gold I’ve ended up wanting to chase the next and I’m the last to know that I could have found what I was hoping for right where I left it. Oftentimes the gold I imagine I will find soon reveals itself as concrete in disguise.“
The single is performed by Leftwich and written by him and Joshua Finn. It was produced by Jimmy Hogarth, who also plays bass on the track. Watch the video BELOW:
The new single ‘New York’ is taken from Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s anticipated forthcoming album ‘Some Things Break’, set for release Friday, 9th February via Dirty Hit. The album consists of ten brand new tracks, all written and performed by Leftwich and follows his previous album ‘To Carry A Whale’, released in 2021.
‘Some Things Break’ shows a subtle reinvention in Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s sound and the honesty in the album’s lyrics.
The tracklist for ‘Some Things Break’ by Benjamin Francis Leftwich is as follows:
1. I’m Always Saying Sorry
2. Moon Landing Hoax
3. Break In The Weather
4. New York
5. Some Things Break
6. Spokane, Washington 7. God’s Best
8. A Love Like That
9. Only You
10. Don’t Give Up On Light
‘Some Things Break’ was written over the course of the past two years at locations across the globe, including London, Nashville, Washington and Stockholm. It was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth, who has also produced for the likes of Amy Winehouse, Sia, Anohni & The Johnsons and more. ‘Some Things Break’ also features collaborations with fellow songwriters, including Mikky Ekko, The 1975’s Jamie Squire, Jon Green and more. The album was mixed by Jonathan Gilmore and mastered by Robin Schmidt.
As well as a broader range in Leftwich’s voice, ‘Some Things Break’ features a richer instrumentation as compared to the more stripped-back sound of his earlier work. Benjamin’s unmistakable acoustic guitar playing remains present throughout but is at times backed with sounds of piano, choirs, subtle drum beats and effects that altogether help create a dense and layered soundscape for his candid, vulnerable lyrics.
Aside from his own material, Benjamin’s songwriting, co-writing and collaboration with other songwriters and artists has grown and evolved hugely over the past few years. Artists he has written with recently include The 1975, Nick Mulvey, Jasmine Jethwa, Rachel Chinouriri, CMAT and Holly Humberstone.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s 2024 UK tour will begin in April in Leeds and includes a show at London’s EartH.
The full live schedule is as follows:
Thursday 4th April – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Friday 5th April – Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
Saturday 6th April – Summerhall, Edinburgh
Sunday 7th April – Band on the Wall, Manchester
Thursday 11th April – The Lantern, Bristol
Friday 12th April – EartH, London
Saturday 13th April – Acapela Studio, Cardiff
Monday 15th April – The Workman’s Club, Dublin, Ireland
Tuesday 16th April – The Limelight 2, Belfast
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