bennytheghost is ready to take on the airwaves and your playlist with his new single “ANIMAL,” a pulsing alt-rock track full of passion and introspection. The song is a thoughtful commentary on how society has morphed itself and trained us to crave attention and drama, recruiting Benny’s partner, KiNG MALA, for an ethereal verse that reflects how unreal the things we’re conditioned to want really are. It will make you want to step back and reevaluate your priorities just as much as it will make you want to sing along and jam out with the pair!
“‘ANIMAL’ is a song that completely fell out of my subconscious,” Benny tells TREMG. “I thought I was just writing words at first, which is how it usually how it goes for me, but when I looked back at the chorus, I saw much of how I felt about myself and how I felt about society in general in those words. ‘ANIMAL’ is the addiction to drama, the self-created ambition for achievement, and the hedonistic search for wealth and pleasure. It represents the animalistic instinct and constant hunger for more; more money, nicer things, higher status, more followers, etc.”
Speaking of craving more, we’re more excited than ever to see what bennytheghost is planning! “ANIMAL” marks the start of a new era for his music as he opens up about darker topics like “frustrations, criticisms, and heartbreak” and pushes the boundaries of his hazy alt sound. It’s also worth noting how “ANIMAL” works in metaphors compared to the more confessional, story-based songwriting of his past releases, showing how he’s developed his skills and found new ways to connect with various audiences.
“I am just grateful to everyone who has listened to my music up until this point,” Benny shares. “I feel I’ve been granted a very rare opportunity to grow and evolve as an artist and to anyone has been there from the start an encouraged me to keep exploring and keep creating, thank you. Without anyone really caring about art in this way, there is no way I could be where I am.”
You can find “ANIMAL” on your favorite streaming services now, and get to know bennytheghost on Instagram and TikTok! Keep reading for more from our conversation with this dynamic artist.
Hi Benny, congrats on your new single, “ANIMAL!” How does it feel to share the song with the world and see what your fans think?
Hello! Thank you so much! I am so excited to share to share “ANIMAL” with the world. It’s my favorite track I have ever made for so many reasons. It features my incredibly talented girlfriend, KiNG MALA, and her voice adds so much to a song that I had already been working on for about two years. This song was so monumental to me sonically; it is what inspired me to build a whole new world with a brand new sound that will eventually follow up “ANIMAL.”
What does “ANIMAL” mean to you?
“ANIMAL” is a song that completely fell out of my subconscious. I thought I was just writing words at first, which is how it usually how it goes for me, but when I looked back at the chorus, I saw much of how I felt about myself and how I felt about society in general in those words. “ANIMAL” is the addiction to drama, the self-created ambition for achievement, and the hedonistic search for wealth and pleasure. It represents the animalistic instinct and constant hunger for more; more money, nicer things, higher status, more followers, etc.
There are so many thought-provoking lyrics on “ANIMAL,” with one of our favorites being “the more that I try, the more that I lose my mind.” Is there a certain line on the song that you’re particularly proud of?
I really like the line, “You crave anticipation, It grows, It shrinks you down to your bones, You’re just an animal.” For me, it really colorfully paints a sort of addiction to drama that is so innate to how we operate in so few words. We love drama. The anticipation of it grows in us as excitement. The fear of it minimizes us. We are hardwired to behave like this.
“ANIMAL” features KiNG MALA, and you two make an amazing pair! What was it like working together on this song?
It’s funny, we actually live together and do everything together except music. We share everything in life, but our music, we sort of keep to ourselves until we are really ready to show each other. So when I asked her to feature on “ANIMAL,” it was pretty much already done except for her verse, and so she went into the studio with the producer and wrote and recorded it in one day, and when she showed it to me I absolutely loved it. It was actually fun getting to collaborate without having to worry about our opinions on each other’s creative work and still get a really cohesive and incredible finished product.
From KiNG MALA to Calica, you’ve worked with some pretty incredible artists over the years. Do you have a dream collaborator you’re hoping to make a song with soon?
Wow, yes. I probably have hundreds of people that I love that I want to make music with. I would probably have to choose between Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) or Billie Eilish.
You told EnVi in 2022 that you truly started pursuing music when you were 15 and reflecting on how high schoolers are pushed to go to college and pursue “normal” jobs. What advice would you give to your 15-year-old self about what would come in his future and music career?
Oh, man. If I got the chance to talk to my 15-year-old self, I would probably tell him that the most important part of his journey is going to be staying true to himself. A lot of people are going to tell him their opinion of how to make music, or how he should act or dress, but the sooner that he can get comfortable in his own shoes, paving his own path, the much better off he will be.
You’ve named standout artists like JOJI, The Strokes, and Gorillaz as some of your biggest inspirations. How do you hope your music inspires your fans and the next generation of musicians?
I really don’t know. The way it inspires them will be up to the person, but if anything, I just hope that people who have felt the same way I have, alienated or desperate or alone, can find some sort of catharsis in listening to it. Also, those who have the same self-deprecating humor, I think, will especially be able to relate to some of my music because as sad of some of is, some of it strikes me as being a little bit funny.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since releasing your 29 Palms EP in 2022?
By leaps and bounds. I think the person who I feel I am when I am bennytheghost has shifted massively. I felt a sort of dying of the person that I was who started off making music as a very exciting, pretty, and fun concept; the bennytheghost world will never be the same again. The music has festered much more darkness as I have grown more as a musician. Much more of my frustrations, criticisms, and heartbreak have seeped into my songs and my sonics. The music has become aggressive and more experimental as I begin to express deeper ideas I have maybe hidden from or previously been scared to write about.
What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2024?
“ANIMAL” is really just the beginning of a new start for me. It’s opening a door to a whole other world of music and emotion that I have yet to touch as an artist. There is much more that I have made that is sitting, waiting to be released, all of which reveals more and more about this new world I am exploring. One of darkness, frustration, and heartbreak.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention or say to your fans that the questions didn’t touch on?
I am just grateful to everyone who has listened to my music up until this point. I feel I’ve been granted a very rare opportunity to grow and evolve as an artist and to anyone has been there from the start an encouraged me to keep exploring and keep creating, thank you. Without anyone really caring about art in this way, there is no way I could be where I am.
By Madison Murray
Featured Image: Courtesy of Mora May Music PR
