BENEFITS

SHARE NEW SINGLE “DIVIDE”

NEW ALBUM “CONSTANT NOISE” – OUT 21st MARCH VIA INVADA RECORDS

UK TOUR TO TAKE PLACE IN APRIL 2024

“I fucking love Benefits.” Steve Albini

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Today, Teesside’s Benefits return with a new single titled “Divide”. The track is taken from their highly anticipated second album, “Constant Noise” and features guest vocals from Middlesbrough rapper Shakk.

Due out 21st March via Invada Records (BEAK>, Billy Nomates, and more), “Constant Noise” follows the band’s widely acclaimed 2023 debut album “NAILS”, which landed in April last year as a passionate expression of anger and disillusionment about divisive, xenophobic, and toxic rhetoric, told through the filter of brutal, eviscerating music. Prior to release, the band had generated a word of mouth following most artists can only dream of, and after catching the ear of Invada Records co-founder Geoff Barrow (as well as other high-profile fans such as the late great Steve Albini), the band released an album which delivered on all that early promise and then some. “NAILS” not only earned widespread press support and radio playlist spots, but it also appeared in album of the year lists from the likes of Louder Than War (#1), BBC Radio 6 Music, NME, The Quietus, The Line Of Best Fit, Loud & Quiet, Far Out, God Is In The TV, and more.

“Divide”, which was premiered by Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music last night, sees the duo find a middle ground between their early heavier sensibilities and their new electronically driven material. Combining hyperactive club rhythms and Berghain-heavy basslines, as Hall and Middlesbrough rapper Shakk bob and weave around each other with acerbic lines around the divisive state of the nation, and indeed, the world-at-large. The latter part of the track sees the instrumentation open into an experimental electronic composition that is at once tense and somewhat euphoric.

Speaking about the track vocalist Kingsley explains: "Divide is a punk song about society at war with itself over every conceivable issue. It's angry about everything from war, inequality, misplaced patriotism and poverty; to greed and the industrialisation and monetisation of hate.

It's an attempt to bring together everything that Benefits in 2025 represents, both sonically and lyrically. We wanted to merge heavy electronica, traditional punk and protest, to create an assault on the senses in the best possible way. Along with producer James Adrian Brown, we threw beat after beat at it and brought in our friend Shakk to add pure fire and heart. It's a piece about division but done in the spirit of unity."

HEAR / SHARE “DIVIDE” HERE

The song is also accompanied by a new video featuring Shakk. The video cuts between the band sat on a sofa discussing the journey they have been on and the new album, and a visceral performance of “Divide”. It’s an incredibly earnest watch that gives a candid insight into the band’s dynamic with an endearing touch of humour.

WATCH / SHARE THE VIDEO HERE

Shakk is just one of the many collaborators on the new record, the previous single featured Peter Doherty of legendary indie band The Libertines. whilst their return single “Land Of The Tyrants” also saw Zera Tønin, the singer of queerpop-electro duo Arch Femmesis, join on guest vocals, whereas “Lies And Fear” features Neil Cooper of Therapy?. In addition to guest musicians, the album also features production work from acclaimed electronic musician and friend of the band, James Welsh (signed to Erol Alkan’s Phantasy label), and James Adrian Brown (ex-Pulled Apart By Horses, now electronic/tape loops/noise artist) who helped to guide the new direction.

The result is an album that gleans as much from the likes of Underworld and Leftfield as it does the likes of The Streets or Beastie Boys in their pomp, or even the 90s / early 00s so-called Indie Sleaze era, with some ideas mined and reworked from some of Hall’s former musical endeavours. At other times, the subtle intricacies of the more avant-garde moments such as “Missiles” call to mind the cinematic work of Popol Vuh, whilst other tracks lean back towards “NAILS” fierce candour such as “Terror Forever”, which sees breathless vocals delivered over anxious, freely improvised drumming.

Thematically, the album still has an inherent Britishness about it linking back to the themes of “NAILS”, digging into the misinformation touted by political parties, and their attempts to build a sense of nostalgia you’re not even sure was real in order to manipulate your future. Another looming subject is the spectre of war, the helpless fact that it is ever present in the background of our privileged day to day lives, and the realisation that our troubles and concerns are utterly insignificant buy comparison. The album also segues into the band’s most personal material to date, with Hall examining the existential dread that comes with ageing, the fast passage of time, and the journey of parenthood. It also examines mortality, grief, and the passing of his late father.

Speaking further on the record, Hall says, “none of this sounds joyous, but believe me, it is, we strived for a dark euphoria, plus it was a thrill to make. It’s an album we’re all immensely proud of. We knew it was going to be a risk to go against the formula of our debut, especially as it was so well received by critics, but we never wanted this band to become predictable or get stuck in a rut. We prefer being on the edge of not quite knowing what we’re doing, our discomfort driving creativity. Benefits was designed as a collaborative project and whether that means we get our mate onstage to sing a folk song or ask the drummer from Therapy to play for us, that’s how it survives, and that’s how it will remain.”

“Constant Noise” is out 21st March via Invada Records – Pre-order HERE

Alongside the new single, Benefits have also today shared details of a short run of *in-stores in March to support the release. These come ahead of their UK tour dates for April 2025. Full dates are as follows:

21/03 MIDDLESBROUGH Unit 41 [Sold Out]
22/03 SHEFFIELD *Bear Tree
25/03 LONDON *Rough Trade East
26/03 BRIGTON *Resident
27/03 COVENTRY *Just Dropped In
5+6/04 CROYDON Cro Cro Land
22/04 HEBDEN BRIGDE Trades Club
23/04 HULL Social
24/04 NOTTINGHAM Bodega
25/04 LONDON Lexington [Sold Out]
26/04 BRISTOL Louisiana
27/04 BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds
28/04 LEICESTER Firebug
29/04 GLASGOW Rum Shack
30/04 LEEDS Attic
01/05 MANCHESTER The White Hotel
02/05 GATESHEAD Glasshouse

Tickets on sale HERE

Tracklisting:

1. Constant Noise
2. Land Of The Tyrants
3. The Victory Lap
4. Lies And Fear
5. Missiles
6. Blame
*7. Continual
8. Divide
9. Relentless
10. Terror Forever
11. Dancing On The Tables
12. Everything Is Going To Be Alright
*13. The Brambles
14. Burnt Out Family Home

(Due to running length *’Continual’ and ’The Brambles’ are CD and Digital-only)

BENEFITS share new single "Divide" ft. Middlesbrough rapper Shakk | New album "Constant Noise" out 21st March via Invada | UK tour to begin April 2025

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