Benjamin Mack on his debut EP ‘Lonely Winter Castle’

Tāmaki Makaurau artist Benjamin Mack has emerged into the NZ indie rock scene with a sound that incorporates a radical yet elegant feel to truly put your soul at ease. Channeling tones from the 70’s and today's modern indie rock, Benjamin treats us to his debut EP ‘Lonely Winter Castle’.

Hey Ben, thanks for taking to time to chat to us! We'd love to know about your musical journey from when you first started singing and making your own music?

I took music lessons in a few different instruments all through school but only picked up the guitar in my last couple years of high school. We had this recording studio in the corner of the school which no one really knew about and my mates and I would just hang out while I tried to figure what Logic was. It was the perfect space to learn. I ended up writing some songs and a mate of mine who's an engineer/producer took a liking to a few of them and helped record and mix them. I then got into the Parachute artist development course which was just super helpful to have that guidance and just be so immersed in the industry.

Huge congrats on your new EP 'Lonely Winter Castle'! What's the meaning behind the name of the EP, and what themes do you delve into lyrically in it?

Thank you so much! ‘Lonely Winter Castle’ is a lyric taken from the song ‘Let The Doorbell Ring’ and it was kind of just a summary of the whole EP vibe and what I was going through at the time. Lyrically, the narrative of the extended play in a sense, follows the five stages of grief. Each track flows into another state of mind, starting with an over-romanticised relationship, then motions of denial, anger, delusion and finally, acceptance.

We love the first single you dropped from the EP 'Up For Grabs'! It's giving us those laid-back summer vibes with sun-soaked guitar riffs and an overall warm indie-rock live sound. What inspired you to write this track?

I was in the studio at Parachute with my friend Ngariki and we were just having a chat about a situation I was thinking about for a bit where you're giving everything to this person and you're just leaving the rest up to them and it's all ‘Up For Grabs’.

One of our favourite tracks off the EP is 'Back & Forth' - it’s an absolute anthem! Can you tell us about the concept of this song?

I was in the lounge when I was house sitting and had this make shift studio and started fiddling with some interesting chords and had this little demo but with no lyrics. I had Ngariki come around with Becca Caffyn and we started writing this song. I don't think any of us had experienced exactly what we had written but it was almost this collective recall of mixed break up which I think was pretty interesting to play around with.

Which artists and genres were your main musical influences going into this EP?

We had heaps of reference tracks but if I were to pick three influences I'd probably go: Pinback, Sonic Youth and Kevin Morby.

What were your main highlights working on the EP?

Recording is one of my favourite things in the world and having Joe Faris produce this project was probably up there as a highlight!

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love?

I'm such a fan of Marlin’s Dreaming especially their last album ‘Hasten’. It's all so good. Also Shannon Matthew Vanya and Goodwill have been on heavy rotation!

Yes, some incredible picks! What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far, and what advice do you have for other artists out there?

I think something that I'm trying to do is just focus on how to work on my craft and just be better than I was yesterday. My advice would be not to compare yourself to anyone else!

Lastly, we end every interview with this question - if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?

I'm single :)

Thanks so much Benjamin Mack! Make sure to keep up with him on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.