We Speak Indie Artist
Benji Tranter releases video for infectious acoustic-pop single ‘Speed Camera’!
After a hiatus of over five years, Welsh songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Benji Tranter has returned with his debut solo album ‘Songs to Make You Happy’, out now via Pear O’ Legs Records.
With a lo-fi, home-recorded approach, Benji builds the album around stark acoustic guitars and his idiosyncratic voice, with embellishments from a menagerie of instruments, played by Benji and a collection of friends. What emerges is a charming, chaotic collection of vignettes; diary entries, polaroid snapshots, and notebook poems, with musical nods to influences like Elliott Smith, Conor Oberst and Nick Drake.
Growing up on the Welsh Marches, Benji has released two EPs, while more recently focusing his efforts toward his power-pop trio Ski Lift, who have been featured across BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Wales and Radio X. He is also a member of psych-folk group The All Night Chemist. Live, he has performed at Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, and supported Tom Robinson.
The album’s first single ‘Satellite’ picked up plays on BBC 6 Music and BBC Wales and has been described as “enchanting” (Fresh on the Net) and “beautifully crafted” (Adam Walton, BBC Wales). New single ‘Speed Camera’ is an infectious acoustic-pop gem that conjures the airy harmonies of Sufjan Stevens and Elliot Smith. The accompanying lyric video captures dash cam footage from drives through gorgeous scenery.
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
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