REVIEWS
Hey u x BENEE BY VISHALLI ALAGAPPAN The rising New Zealand alt-pop artist BENEE, born Stella Rose Bennett, raises the bar with her much-anticipated album “Hey u x” after blowing up on TikTok this summer with her song “Supalonely.” BENEE’s third album pairs artistic versatility with emotional vulnerability to illustrate her anxiety and loneliness. The album opens with “Happen To Me,” an indie track featuring BENEE’s iconic smoky vocals and a continuous loop of breakbeat and acoustic guitar. “Happen To Me” sets the stage for the album with an artful and earnest reflection on the artist’s habit of overthinking everyday activities and events. The lyrics display darker undertones that touch on the deterioration of her mental health in light of the ongoing pandemic. “Happen To Me” transitions into “Same Effect,” a breakup song that expresses longing for an abusive ex to fill the void of loneliness. The song is easy on the ears, with its bouncy beats and BENEE’s warm, hazy vocals. BENEE’s genre-hopping within this album is evident in “Sheesh” featuring Grimes. “Sheesh” is an auto-tuned EDM song reminiscent of 90s house music, a lighthearted song about not feeling a romantic spark with someone who the artist knows would be good for her. This laid-back track feels out of place in BENEE’s journey through deeper, darker emotions arising from a place of isolation. It still slaps though. “Sheesh” is followed by the TikTok hit “Supalonely,” featuring Gus Dapperton. This song brings upbeat lo-fi disco beats together with melancholic lyrics to create a pop THE WAKE
anthem that flippantly explores sadness and self-deprecation. At the heart of the album sit my favorite songs: “Snail” and “Plain” featuring Lily Allen and Flo Milli. “Snail,” a groovy, eccentric song about BENEE’s fascination with snails during quarantine, is written from the perspective of a snail describing its freedom and asking the artist to hang out. The breakup track that follows exudes the sassiness of Lily Allen and Flo Milli, mocking an ex-boyfriend and their “new missus” to assure the artist that she has the upper hand. I was unsure about Milli’s appearance on an indie-pop song, but Allen and Milli’s verses elevated the track and consolidated the bad-b*tch vibes in this chill, breezy song. Although the song is empowering on the surface, the lyrics come from a place of isolation and reveal the artist’s attempt to fit in with the world after the breakup. The seventh track of the album, “Kool,” has an upbeat, distorted sound with funky rock riffs and contrasts BENEE’s forlorn lyrical admiration of someone who is “so effortlessly cool.” The tone of the album shifts with “Winter,” featuring Mallrat, an elegant piece with a moody guitar that pairs well with BENEE’s throaty vocals and Mallrat’s angelic verses. The abstract lyrics delve deeper into anxiety and self-isolation. The pared down, melancholic love song that follows, “A Little While,” is a bass-heavy track that describes the anxiety of getting into a new relationship after an abusive one.
“Night Garden,” featuring Kenny Beats and Bakar, is a hypnotic, hip-hop influenced song that confronts paranoia and insomnia head on. The lyrics illustrate the paranoia of being watched and BENEE’s smoky vocals fit the sleepless, zombie aesthetic perfectly. “All the Time,” featuring Muroki, illustrates depersonalization when under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. The trippy song has a hazy, blurred feel to it that mirrors the lyrics and complements Muroki’s warm, smooth vocals and BENEE’s detached attitude. This pandemic album reflects on the various mental health struggles of quarantine, including substance abuse. “If I Get To Meet You” has an eclectic, dreamy sound that is drowned out by the preceding tracks. It is beautifully written and skillfully produced, but this downcast, skeptical song about the genuineness of romantic interest after BENEE’s rise to popularity is not best placed as the twelfth track. At this point in the album, the structure requires another shift in tone, like “Sheesh” or “Snail,” and the sound of “If I Get To Meet You” is discordant to conclude the album with. The album ends with “C U,” a cute, romantic song about loving someone but being apart. It’s a song about escapism and the beachy, soft, melodic vibe emphasizes the fantasy of the track. “Hey u x” is an incredible album that expresses the youthful emotions and challenges of 2020. With this album, BENEE distinguishes herself from the TikTok popstar persona as a “normal idiot from New Zealand” who puts her heart and soul into her music.
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