New Zealand electro-pop darling Benee (Stella Bennett) wraps us up in a web of catchy pop hooks on her debut EP, 'Fire On Marzz'.
“I'm just happy to have a little body of work out because so far it's just been single releases, so I'm glad to put it out there, my little babies I've been working on over the past two years,” Benee says.
“So they've been brewing. When you're the only one listening to them, and I've listened to them so many bloody times, it feels good to finally get them out there so other people can listen to them so I don't have to.”
Benee crept up behind us with her sneaking single 'Evil Spider' becoming a viral sensation, followed by recent single 'Glitter'.
For her first EP, Benee says she wanted to compile the tracklist with a broad brushstroke approach that covers the past few years of her creative endeavours. “I've been working on it for ages and it's a mixture of new songs – like 'Want Me Back' I wrote at the end of last year, which is pretty new for me – and then the old ones like 'Wishful Thinking,” she explains.
“But leading up to making the decision that I was going to make an EP, I was picking songs that all had a different, special thing about them and I wanted it to be a big mixture of weird sh.t.”
Not unlike Benee herself, 'Fire On Marzz' is colourful, delightfully weird and a little bit cheeky. As debut EPs go, it's nigh on perfect. “Every song is about something pretty different for me,” Benee says.
“Even when it came to coming up with a name I wanted something that did not relate to anything and I wanted it to be all these things that's there, that's all these different sounds and doesn't really make much sense but it's colourful, sparkly and just sits there as an EP.”
Benee now sets her sights on her upcoming Australian tour in November in support of 'Fire On Marzz' and what will be her second national headline run. She was also announced earlier this week as part of the 2020 Laneway Festival line-up. “My set is longer now and I've got a completely different set list,” she says.
“Some of the songs now I didn't have when I was on tour, and some of the songs that I was performing on the previous tour I don't play anymore, so it's going to be different. Also the lights and visuals are more sussed out, and my band and I have got a lot more confidence now... a bit tighter.
“I am rather excited about it. The last time I was [in Australia] it was epic; it was the first time I'd ever done shows outside of New Zealand and both of the shows were awesome, and the crowds were lovely so I am extremely excited.”
With the majority of her listeners coming from Australia, Benee adds that she is not only excited to get back here but extremely grateful for the strong fan base she has built in Australia. “You guys are great, such great supporters. I love the love, thank you!”
'Fire On Marzz' EP is out now.
Benee 2019 Tour Dates
Fri 22 Nov - Woolly Mammoth (Brisbane)Sat 23 Nov - Spilt Milk Festival (Canberra)
Thu 28 Nov - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Fri 29 Nov - Max Watt's (Melbourne)
Sat 30 Nov - Spilt Milk Festival (Ballarat)
Laneway Festival 2020 Tour Dates
Sat 1 Feb - Brisbane ShowgroundsSun 2 Feb - The Domain (Sydney)
Fri 7 Feb - Hart's Mill (Adelaide)
Sat 8 Feb - Footscray Park (Melbourne)
Sun 9 Feb - Esplanade Reserve and West End (Fremantle)
