Benny Sings releases new album ‘Young Hearts’ produced by Kenny Beats

Photo Credit: Robb Klassen

Today marks the release of Benny Sings‘ new album Young Hearts via Stones Throw Records. Young Hearts is Benny Sings’ first record made with a single producer — beatmaker-to-the-stars Kenny Beats. The album features his recently released bossa nova-inspired track, ‘Pyjamas,’ which includes vocals from Remi Wolf and a music video directed by her. The two recently spoke to each other for The Talkhouse, which described Benny as “making the sort of breezy songs that easily get stuck in your head.”

For Benny Sings, making music isn’t just an art; he sees it as one of the lines of work that make the world go round. He says, “I wanted to be like a baker, I wanted to be like a paver. Everybody works hard to make the world a better place, and I would do the songs.” For nearly twenty years he’s been perfecting that work, culminating in Young Hearts.

Kenny Beats and Benny Sings originally connected over DM, after which Kenny invited Benny to work from his home studio in L.A., where they would jam and write during the day. They’d riff off each other, sharing stories, melodies, and adlibs with collaborators Kenny invited over, relaxing into the anything-goes vibe.

Whereas Benny’s always written autobiographical songs, on Young Hearts he looks outward, creating a fictional cast of lovable losers – the kind of bumbling, luckless eccentrics you might find on a lost Steely Dan record. On ‘Pyjamas’ with Remi Wolf, Benny sings as a guy who’d rather watch a documentary than jump into the sack; ‘The World‘ captures a 70s nostalgic feel, about “living it up” wherever you are; ‘The Only One‘ describes an obsessive romantic who daydreams about a woman unaware of his existence, and the title track imagines a pair of young lovers-turned-addicts chasing pleasure through drugs over an FM-radio piano line.

“The antihero is at the heart of my music,” Benny explains. He has enormous empathy for these hapless folks — because he sees himself as one. “It’s who I am at the core. Non-athletic. I hope that someone can listen to these songs and think, ‘I’m not Superman but maybe I can still save the day’.”

Benny is set to headline several shows in the UK & Europe to celebrate the album’s launch including a London show at KOKO on Tuesday next week March 28th, tickets here and full dates below.

Benny Tours: 

March 24 – Roeselare, Belgium @ TRAX
March 25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso [Sold out]
March 28 – London, UK @ KOKO
March 29 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon
March 30 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
April 5- Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Maassilo
April 6 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivoli Vredenburg [Sold out]
June 9 – Søndermarken, Denmark @ Syd For Solen
July 9 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Festival
July 14 – Meco Sesimbra, Portugal @ Super Bock Super Rock

Benny Sings Young Hearts tracklist:

1. Young Hearts
2. The Only One
3. Simple Love Songs
4. Pyjamas (feat Remi Wolf)
5. The World
6. Distance
7. Love Will Find A Way
8. Moviestar
9. Let’s Go
10. Take Your Time