Benjamin Booker - "Same Kind of Lonely"

Photo by Alex Edep

We're thrilled that Benjamin Booker is set to release his first album in seven years, and especially so since the pre-release singles aren't anything like what he's done before. "Same Kind of Lonely" doesn't have much in common with the powerhouse blues of his self-titled album, or even the more experimental and genre defying follow up, Witness. This new single is combining too many genres to be able to mention them all after a single listen. You're going to hear elements of indie rock, soul, hip hop, doo wop, glam rock, art rock, ambient, and many more. "Same Kind of Lonely" should be a complete train wreck of too many styles, but Booker draws them all together with a master level of creativity. Sure, the song is a bit rough at times, but that feels more by design than lack of skill. It feels like we missed a few musical steps in the seven years since Booker officially released music considering how much of a departure "Same Kind of Lonely" is.

Benjamin Booker says of his new single and video:

“I was thinking a lot about existence and the natural world—how things that start off so beautiful are often twisted into something unsettling or sinister. Maybe the disconnect between the natural state of things and the modified state of things is the source of a lot of pain, suffering and loneliness in the world.

"For this video, one of the things we were interested in looking at is our twisting and distortion of ourselves and the world. The co-director, Gerry Cisneros, and I tried to express this idea through visuals—slowly turning algae on a lake into digital needles or having eyes appear in trees. We wanted to take nature and find ways to manipulate it. We were inspired by Haitian Vodou ceremonies, the paintings of Paul Gaugin, Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England, and Andrei Tarkovsky."

You can watch the video for "Same Kind of Lonely" below. LOWER is due out January 24 on Fire Next Time Records via Thirty Tigers, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Benjamin Booker, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

2/2 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *

2/4 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room *

2/5 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room*

2/6 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *

2/8 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *

2/9 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's *

2/10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux *

2/11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *

2/13 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre *

2/15 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge *

2/16 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club *

2/18 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean *

2/19 - Detroit, MI - Magic Bag *

2/21 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *

2/22 - Montreal, QC - L'Esco *

2/23 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom *

2/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/27 - Philly, PA - Kung Fu Necktie *

2/28 - Washington, DC - Union Stage *

3/2 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy *

3/3 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *

3/5 - Nashville, TN - 3rd and Lindsley *

3/7 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia *

* with Kenny Segal