LISTEN // WATCH: “EVERY DAY IS THE SAME (ft. DIMA DRJUCHIN)”
Today, Brooklyn-based animator, producer, and self-described “gnome rocker” Ben Wigler, who makes music under his experimental art-rock project moniker BenBen, has unleashed “Every Day Is The Same (ft. Dima Drjuchin),” along with an insanely animated video to match.
“Every Day Is The Same” (or “E.D.I.T.S.”) is the second single off of BenBen's debut seven-song EP Algorithmia, a disgruntled rainbow rock extravaganza about weeping into the cyber-void of digital culture. The song's mind-melting animated video is by artist and musician Dima Drjuchin, best known for painting the revered album art for Father John Misty's Fear Fun and collaborations with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. “ Drjuchin, who plays lead guitar on the track and also illustrated the EP's gloriously maximalist artwork, is one of BenBen's dearest friends and longtime collaborators. The two recently released an EP called Ghost Love, which reimagined music from the underground bands they played in together throughout the 2010s. ” The song itself rocks super hard but has an unforgettable zombie-like hook and anesthetized vibe that mimics the dopamine-havoc of internet addiction.
“The song is built around a self-indicating lyric that becomes a mantra: every day is the same, I wake up in the morning, and wait to be fed by the internet,” says BenBen. “This should ring true for just about anyone living in the 21st century, and continues the concept-driven nature of the EP.” The golden thread of BenBen's uniquely wistful, gender-defying voice becomes like a surfer, catching the wave of the song's epic nihilism.
The song follows the release of his first single, EP title track “Algorithmia,” along with its award-winning AI-genertated video. The song's angular riffs and soaring vocals sound like Soundgarden and Queen had a musical baby and then fed it, squealing, directly into the gaping maw of the internet. The video was directed by experimental artist Nate Dorr using AI generative art-making techniques.
The video has already been making the rounds of the film festival circuit, premiering in Denver at the Supernova Digital Animation Festival (September 2022), winning “Most Original Music Video” at the Grand Rapids Film Festival (September 2022), and heading to the Boundless Film Festival (October 2022) in London and the HB Film Festival (October 2022) in Glasgow, where it is nominated for Best Music Video.
LISTEN // WATCH: “ALGORITHMIA”
Wigler helped pioneer 21st-century indie rock with under-the-radar bands Arizona and New Beard, performing live and in the studio with artists like Band of Horses, Samantha Crain, and Indigo Girls. Wigler’s last LP was mixed by legendary Dungen frontman Gustav Ejstes. Best known for an unforgettable high tenor voice and infectious melodies, BenBen crafts riff-driven music with a golden heartbeat–living creatures and invitations to adventure in other worlds.
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