As an up-and-coming indie artist, bennytheghost has made some incredible strides as a writer, musician, and performer. He’s toured with large indie artists like his long-term partner KiNG MALA, Upsahl, Tiffany Day, Hippo Campus, Remi Wolf, Still Woozy, Sam Austins, and Duckworth. In addition to being featured on Elton John’s Rocket Hour and Zane Lowe’s radio shows, Benny has been on Spotify editorials including New Music Friday, anti pop, indie pop, today’s indie rock, and my life is a movie, amongst others. Originally finding comfort in the indie pop sound, bennytheghost’s branding is taking a darker, edgier direction with a sound better categorized in dark pop, indie rock.
The benny world has morphed to a dark, depressed, A24 horror movie vibe, but acknowledges that we move through the chaos through humor, some self-deprecation, and some healthy absurdism. His world is derived from an initial sense of heartbreak: relationships gone toxic, loneliness, hedonism, hyper-romanticizing bad situations, the evil-animalistic-selfish woes of capitalism, social anxiety, and greedy human desires. In dealing with these dark and uncomfortable themes, benny loves using self-deprecating sarcasm. These themes manifest in benny’s soundscapes, lyrics, fashion, and overall image of his world.
“ANIMAL” is the first major single that marks this shift and new era of bennytheghost. In collaboration with renowned indie artist KiNG MALA, bennytheghost infuses lyricism that comments on the state of the world – one of which the youth are given to inherit. This single sonically represents this new world that has slowly been molded into the most profit-based, evil, capitalist nightmare and calls out society for its inhumane hunger for money when Benny, at the end of the chorus says, “You crave sophistication but you’re just an animal”. Benny draws inspiration from the Gorillaz and JOJI in crafting this new realm.
“I take massive inspiration from JOJI who’s songs are also incredibly dramatic and heartbreaking, while his character is so goofy, aloof, mysterious and funny. A dichotomy that houses those two opposites is so compelling to me; that’s where I want to live.”
With the support and distribution of Good Boy Records, this single establishes benny as a major player in the indie space.
You can connect with bennytheghost on Instagram @bennytheghost and TikTok @bennyisaghost
You can connect with KiNG MALA on Instagram @kingmalamusic and TikTok @kingmalamusic