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Otto Benson - ‘Bobbery’

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Superlatives fail to describe the music of Otto Benson.

By ian

2024/01/11

Superlatives fail to describe the music of Otto Benson. The NYC-born and bred artist and founding member of the WNOADIARWB collective shifts between different projects at a dizzying pace, each project assuming a life and sound of its own. While he described last year’s release, Songs Before Bed, as ‘an all-ages album intended to help listeners wind down and reach a more present and relaxed state before sleeping, Bobbery, a recontextualized collection of songs from 2020, could not be more different.

Otto Benson - Songs Before Bed (2022)
Otto Benson - Songs Before Bed (2022)WNOADIARWB
  • 1Mr. Sunday Night
  • 2River Dream
  • 3Another Long Day
  • 4Forgot
  • 5Orange Moon
  • 6Jumping Seeds
  • 7Histamine
  • 8Letting Go
  • 9Apogamy
  • 10Tuning In and Out
  • 11Good Night Mantra
  • 12Kitty's Midnight Blessing
  • 13Morning Mantra (Bonus Track)

Accompanied by a personal mea culpa from Benson himself, who states, "I want to apologize to my listeners who were expecting a more relaxing record," Bobbery returns to the unsettling signature sound reminiscent of his releases on Vegyn’s PLZ Make It Ruins imprint. Utilizing various shades of high-energy dance music tropes, Bobbery immerses listeners in the next intense episode of percussion and pads. His music is a blend of disquieting, complex, chaotic, and beautiful elements, exemplified perfectly in tracks like "I’m Thirsty", “Pens & Pencils Scramble” and "135790713510923"—not-so-subtle reminders of the diverse range that this young polymath effortlessly navigates.

Otto Benson - Bobbery
Otto Benson - BobberyWNOADIARWB
  • 1Gentle Push
  • 2Corn Syrup
  • 3Beijing Étude
  • 4Onion
  • 5I'm Thirsty
  • 6Placebo
  • 7Bulk Option
  • 8135790713510923
  • 9Pens & Pencils Scramble
  • 10Run to Catch a Train in the Jungle Heat

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