Bensbeendead. is bringing his versatile style to the forefront with his second project, Lovely Creatures. Bensbeendead. describes the project as “less introspective” and wants something more universal bringing together all different sides of himself. The project releases tomorrow (Dec. 3rd). Learn more about him and the project below.

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What got you into music? Why did you decide to start singing?

I got into music right after I graduated high school. A few friends of mine had started trying to rap and I wanted to see if I could make some beats for them on GarageBand. I was hooked on it instantly and turned to Youtube for hours a day trying to learn as much as I could about every aspect of creating music. After a while I wanted to try rapping/singing over my own productions. It didn’t start out very well but I just kinda kept at it and over time I started to feel like I was actually enjoying the stuff I was creating.

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You don’t seem to put yourself in a box sonically, how important is that for you?

It’s honestly the most important thing for me, having the freedom to make whatever sounds come to mind at any time. I don’t feel like I have a genre at this point in my career, so when it comes to creating I don’t try to lean into a certain sound. I try to leave as much room for experimentation as possible. I’m hoping that it also allows me to shock a few people with the range of styles that I can and will try out.

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You said you are trying to make something less introspective, explain more why and what to expect from Lovely Creatures?

I just wanted to try a different perspective on songwriting from the one that I am so used to. My instinct when writing has always been to try to convey my own emotions as I experience them. It was actually very refreshing to try to write songs about more universal feelings and experiences. I wanted to try to convey as much of the similarity and difference that all of us share in the human experience.

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Why the name "Lovely Creatures"?

I was inspired for the title after watching the movie Re-Animator. The name "Lovely Creatures" comes from the duality of how humanity can have such beauty at times and yet still after all this time be so primal and biological.

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How helpful and therapeutic is it to be able to put your thoughts and emotions behind music?

Since I started making music, it has always been an outlet for my thoughts and feelings that my other passions have not been. Growing up I was always into playing sports, and in sports it’s less about thinking and more about gut instinct and reaction. Music allows me to process things that I experience and try to convey them to the rest of the world. It helps me communicate in a much clearer way than I have ever been able to.

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What do you want fans to grasp from your music?

I want the people who listen to take away the fact that we all have so much more in common than we often realize, and a lot of the time we don’t share enough of our experiences and that leads us to feel isolated. The more we share our emotions, whether positive or negative, the more we allow others to relate to us and find better understanding of how to process what we go through, good times and bad.

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Who inspires your sound?

I am inspired by artists who consistently try to reinvent themselves and their sound. James Blake, Kanye, Bon Iver & Childish Gambino are some artists that I’ve always turned to for inspiration.

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Dream collaborations?

Childish Gambino for sure. I feel like we could create some magical stuff. Also Bon Iver, I think our voices would sound really nice together.

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Hobbies outside of music?

I love watching & playing basketball. I’m pretty low-key in general, I enjoy hanging out at home with my animals and watching movies.

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You can presave Lovely Creatures here.