Raised in Brooklyn, de la Cour lived in London, Cuba and across the United States before making his home in the American south over a decade and a half ago. Drawing on inspiration from writers and musicians alike - Townes Van Zandt, Jimi Hendrix, Nick Cave, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, James Baldwin and Carson McCullers among them - de la Cour’s gothic folk songs are as heartbreaking as they are beautiful. He's still young but has lived a few different lifetimes already and has the stories to show for it. Not to mention a lot of acolytes and friends made along the way.
While Sweet Anhedonia felt like “the American heartland witnessed through the window of a car going 80mph” (American Songwriter), New Roses feels like being stuffed into the trunk and driven into an imploding star. The album grew out of late-night writing and recording sessions at his home, where he experimented with layering synthesizers and looping sounds, snarling electric guitar and his expert acoustic fingerpicking. “I didn’t even set out to make an album, but I started recording these songs on GarageBand with one microphone and this second-hand synth I bought and then it sort of evolved that way,” de la Cour says, “I just experimented with different approaches to songs and kind of let each song go where it wanted to go.”
New Roses is a singular and personal vision, with de la Cour playing every instrument except fiddle (handled by long-time collaborator Billy Contreras) and trumpet while also delivering his strongest vocal performance yet. The result is a razor-sharp album full of what he calls “night songs” - haunting, impactful songs that feel like the witching hour. He balances doom and optimism, seeking out kernels of hope in the darkness, and finds his footing in accepting the dualities of life.
Praise for Ben de la Cour
“Like other terse troubadours before him - Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Nick Cave among them - he pulls no punches and always manages to dig deep into the most battered firmament.” American Songwriter
“Ben de la Cour’s way of crafting a story and delivering it with his sometimes menacing and teetering-on-the-edge-of-madness-yet-eerily-calm baritone makes it impossible to turn away, even at the bleakest moments.” Americana-UK
“Ben de la Cour has the striking ability to craft a compelling narrative with a novelist’s skill in just a few lines.” Folk Radio UK
“Ben de la Cour’s songs are brimming with urgent authenticity.” No Depression
“Ben de la Cour is the real deal. He is riveting to watch and hear on the high wire of his own making. He is original, thought provoking, funny and poignant - a rare combination.” Rod Picott
“For those who wish to illuminate their shadow side, Mr de la Cour makes an excellent guide.” RNR
“On Sweet Anhedonia, Ben has refined and enriched the sweet, savage way he pulls your heart up through your throat with his quietly tragic characters in devastating scenarios. It is somehow gruesome and viscerally moving, a fine line he manages to amble along with nary a stumble.” The Telegraph
“Ben de la Cour is a prodigious storyteller, the vividness of his lyrics as powerful as the darkness that they possess.” Twangville
“Ben de la Cour is hands down one of the best songwriters around. But it’s not just that – he’s a true raconteur, which elevates him to full troubadour status.” Jim White
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Recorded and produced by Ben de la Cour at American Mud, Nashville, TN
For information Geraint or Deb Jones Email: gpromo@btinternet.com Web: www.gpromopr.com |
Ben de la Cour : Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Keyboard, Synth, Dorkatron Billy Contreras : Fiddle Josh Klein : Trumpet Gin Wife : Harmony Vocals (I Must Be Lonely) Elizabeth Cook : Harmony Vocals (The Devil Went Down to Silverlake) Emily Scott Robinson : Harmony Vocals (Christina) Misty Harlowe : Harmony Vocals (New Roses) |
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