Benji Heinke Releases A Tripped Out Blend of Indie-pop and Electronic Music With "Blue Eden"

If you're not yet too familiar with the sounds of Benji Heinke, then let us be among the first to introduce you to the artist, who just dropped a brand new record that blurs the lines between electronic, indie-pop, and elements of rock. This is a record that takes you into different worlds and does so with sonic frequencies that feel good to listen to, carry with them a great sort of brightness, and provide a lot to chew on.

Most of the songs on the Blue Eden record are a little avant-garde, but danceable. They are sort of limitless and expansive, fun, colorful, and can, at times, feel alive and breathing.

One of the most impressive aspects about this record is obviously the production. This was produced with a lot of well-thought-out approaches, so that the final product has this beautiful soundscape to it.

Each song stands on its own two feet very well as a single, but listening to this full record from beginning to end, all at once, is a must-do.

If you listen to the full record, it takes you on a bit of a musical journey. It's kind of like an experience rather than just a record itself, and it is one that you might end up wanting to take more than once.

The record starts with "Cerulean", which comes right in with plucking, delayed-effect guitars, along with square saw synths that give you a deep-rooted, bass backbone.

The beat of this track is digital, of course, but it's very sort of widespread. It's got a little bit of a scattered feel in terms of its high hats, but it really gives you a deep pocket to roll with.

When vocals come in, you sort of get blown away. The vocals have this Indie pop feel, double-tracked to give it extra thickness, and you find yourself getting pulled into the lyrics themselves.

As the song opens up a bit, it gets a little bit more out there in terms of its songwriting and experimentation, which is a good thing because I feel like this is kind of where the future of music is going.

Being able to take different genres and mesh them together to create an atmosphere that's its own thing is a brilliant move, and when it comes to that especially, Benji is a master of the craft.

You can tell while you listen to the record that he's having an absolute blast doing it as well. Perhaps the studio element and recording processes are where he is most in his zone.

It seems like that when you listen to it. Like the world melts away and it's just him in his space doing his thing.

Perhaps that's why the songs come through feeling a little personal and filmic.

Loads more delay effects come in and out with synthesizers and keys; the song gets more lush and a little edgier, which makes things feel slightly tense, but also smooth all at once.

The following track is called "Static", which once again sort of Blends guitars with electronic elements, synthesizers, and keys. This one has more of a classic synth tone and sound going for it.

The vocals are way more upfront on this track as well. You can hear every word crystal clear, even though he is still double-tracking his vocals. The recording of the vocals was super tight, and so at times it almost feels like one vocal Track.

He also comes through with some great hooky melodies throughout this one in terms of his singing, which helps drive the song forward.

Again, you feel this sort of personal character coming through, not just lyrically but in the way the songs create moods for those lyrics.

I feel like this is a huge element as to why the record feels the way it does. Benji is able to create these moods with each track, and this becomes infectious.

"Infection" is more like an indie-pop single. You still have that Ambience going on, but the vocals are hitting these high notes; the song feels like an indie pop single, and there are all kinds of cool elements that create different sounds throughout the song that fall together like puzzle pieces.

"Liminal" is probably my favorite track on the entire thing, because it really displays such a brilliant approach to blending those tones naturally.

The digital synths and keys, with the natural guitar tones, are amazing together, and the vocals line up the amount of natural and digital even more.

The guitars and the singing have that warm tone, meanwhile the digital aspects like synthesizers, keys, and beats have a little bit of a colder feel even when they're playing something that has a colorful melody.

Those two aspects coming together feel awesome.

The record closes with the track called "Synthetic", which also, once again, showcases personality. He does let some inner thoughts out during these singles, and a lot of the lyrics dig a little bit deep when he wants to go there.

This final track works amazingly as a closing to the record because it feels proper.

It feels like the end of a chapter, in a way.

As I mentioned earlier, listening to this whole thing at once is really the only way to go, because even though it may not be a concept record, exactly, it feels as though it is.

It's almost like the songs interconnect and display different chapters in the artist's life.

So, definitely dig into this record because there's a lot going on and plenty to soak in in terms of character, tone, texture, and layering.

To me, this is also a great example of how Benji sculpts sound to create what he wants.

Listening to this record was a great experience, and afterwards, I reached out to Benji to see if we could talk to him about it.

As you play this record through, be sure to check out our interview with Benji Heinke.

Whatever you do, don't miss this record.

Where did this album come from and what is it about?

I had this crazy dream where I was in this liminal, wealthy California suburb. ‘Perfect’ bodies and lifestyle, like a 21st Century version of David Hockney’s pool paintings. Things go wrong when the protagonist accidentally cuts themselves and the pool water gets into their bloodstream. After this, botanical growths begin to emerge from the wounds and eventually consume people. There are also text messages throughout, charting a rising infection rate. I woke up, wrote it all down as I thought it would make a great body-horror film. I doubt I’ll ever be able to make it so I made a concept album exploring the narrative - the music video is a kind of proof of concept of the film.

I am hearing several approaches here! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

I love New Order, LCD Soundsystem, Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads etc. However this record was directly influenced by Slayyyter’s new album and Charli xcx in its approach. I was also listening to a lot of classical music, such as Stravinsky and Steve Reich so that informed the non-standard structures to the songs which are pretty much throughout the record.

How did this all start for you as an artist?

I’ve been writing and recording since about 13 years old, however I didn’t become professional until 2018, after graduating art school, with the release of my eponymous debut album. I’ve been building my catalogue for nearly 10 years, so it’s just a natural progression I guess.

Are you performing everything on the record?

Yep it’s all me.

Did you record at a bigger studio, or a home DAW setup?

On the liner notes the studio is listed as ‘Benji Heinke Studio 3’, in other words my third ‘professional’ home studio.

The Cerulean video was kind of a trip! Did you put that together yourself as well?

Yeah it’s essentially a collage of stock imagery which fit the narrative, I also chroma keyed the flowers over the top to reflect the botanical consumption of the protagonist.

Are you performing live, or is this strictly a studio project?

Yeah I have a launch event in Southampton on 14th August at IO. I am looking for other gigs (anywhere) as well, so if anyone wants to book me, let me know! Haha.

Now that this is out, what's next for you?

Just focussing on promoting it as much as possible, playing as many shows as I can to really get the record out there and in people’s ears.

What would you say people can expect from this release?

Not much in the way of verse-chorus structure, electronic experimentation with post-punk guitars and a psychedelic lyrical narrative.

Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy it!

Blue Eden | Benji Heinke

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