Courtesy of Music Feeds

BENEE, an alternative-pop musician from New Zealand, released her first album, “Hey u x,” on Friday, Nov. 13.

Fans of the app TikTok may recognize BENEE’s song “Supalonely,” as it was the song accompanying a viral dance around December 2019. “Supalonely” was also featured on BENEE’s EP “Stella & Steve,” but has been carried over to this new album. The other single from this album, “Night Garden,” was released this summer on July 15, 2020.

This newest album includes features from artists as diverse as Grimes, Gus Dapperton, Lily Allen, Flo Milli, Mallrat, Kenny Beats, Bakar and Muroki.

This album is labeled as alternative; however, each song brings in different elements and genres. In songs such as “Happen To Me” and “Night Garden,” there are jazz influences; songs like “A Little While” are a bit more indie-pop and songs like “Sheesh” bring in a more electropop sound.

The first song on the album, “Happen To Me,” introduces the album as BENEE’s internal monologue and an expression of her anxieties. Its lyrics have motifs about fearing what is out there in the night and illustrate paranoia that something is going to happen once she has fallen asleep. The drums set a very fast tempo, while the guitar’s melody stays strong throughout, creating an interesting push and pull feeling that is reflective of the feeling of fear.

“Sheesh,” featuring Grimes, is fun, electric and exciting. One of the best dance songs on the album, it utilizes autotune and layered vocals to give the song a unique depth. BENEE and Grimes’ voices work well together, with BENEE’s more robotic tone and Grimes’ breathy vocals ensuring that listeners don’t lose any interest throughout the song.

“Snail” has playful chords and fantastical lyrics. Its lyrics quite literally speak about a snail and coming out in the rain rather than the sun. In this song, BENEE uses her higher register to sing; this, paired with the fact that these vocals are then slowed down throughout the chorus, creates depth and allows BENEE’s voice to stand out against a backdrop of lower, slower vocals. The music video for this song has reached a million views and emphasizes the whimsical instrumentals in the song with visuals of humongous snails, pink mushrooms and vibrant colors.

“Kool” is a rhythmic and groovy piece on the album. It grabs the listener’s attention within the first five seconds of the song with a brief but powerful guitar that continues to pulsate and change throughout. Lyrically, it reflects the feeling of envy and seeing someone else as outwardly perfect and confident.

“Night Garden,” like “Happen To Me,” is about being restless and unable to sleep. This song has jazz and hip-hop influences, which connect the two songs both thematically and instrumentally. The jazz influences from this song probably come from featured producer Kenny Beats, who has produced for many other notable artists, such as Freddie Gibbs and Rico Nasty. Bakar’s feature on this song also works very well with the instrumentals.

“All The Time,” which features Muroki, feels like a conversation between two people. It begins with BENEE humming to herself, which creates a feeling of being lost in thought. The song then uses dreamy guitar chords and creates round sounds that make for easy transitions between BENEE and Muroki. It is an interesting addition to the overall sound of the album, as it grounds the audience after the excitement of songs like “Kool” and “Sheesh.”

Since its release, “Hey u x” has been called a “patchwork” album in reviews. However, it truly feels as though each song plays into BENEE’s restlessness, despite the fact that it may not all manifest in the same way: For instance, “All the Time” mentions being spaced out and virtually incapacitated due to love, while “Kool” deals with an obsession over how one is perceived. Each song illustrates one worry after the other, and the genre chosen for each one has reflected that worry. It is a fun album, but also an extremely vulnerable album that allows listeners to understand BENEE and the way she perceives things around her. While it may seem as though it is a patchwork piece, in reality, it is just a scattered display of thoughts and worries one may have, making it both a relatable and an extremely personal debut studio album.