Michael J. Benjamin Unplugs For 'The Same Again'

06-20-2023

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() Rising Dutch singer-songwriter - Michael J. Benjamin - has unveiled a new acoustic version of "The Same Again", ahead of his debut EP (set for release this Autumn).

Putting a pensive spin on the radiant and heart-rending ballad, "The Same Again (Acoustic)" sees Michael J. Benjamin prune back the trickling acoustics and shimmering instrumentals as a more hauntingly honest version of the track emerges from beneath.

With the threads of Benjamin's distinctive Cash-meets-Cohen vocals and pensive approach to storytelling still running through the new cut's core, he rewinds sepia-tinted memories of his past with a harrowing flair. "As I go walkin' by the farm sometimes to catch a glimpse of light," he croons on the track's contemplative chorus, "As the silence kills me easily and I'm stranded in the night."

Unfurling as a reflective moment for the singer-songwriter to pause for thought and look back on what could have been, Michael J. Benjamin explains of the track:

"A girl and I used to walk along these farms on the edge of town, then I left for London and when I came back we broke up. After that I used to come back to these seemingly holy farms to find inspiration and tranquillity; to catch a glimpse of light of the moon and relive old memories. Looking back now, it's the act of not letting go of the past that drove me to write this song. The farms were like a sanctuary, or a relic of better times. Even today it remains a magical place to me."

Produced by Jon McMullen (Wet Leg, Michael Kiwanuka) at his London studio, "The Same Again (Acoustic) makes for a wistful country-blues record that feels simultaneously nostalgic and refreshing; true to a style that Benjamin is quickly making his own.