Video: Benjamin Booker Shares New Song 'SLOW DANCE IN A GAY BAR'

Benjamin Booker has shared a new single “SLOW DANCE IN A GAY BAR,” just ahead of the release of his first new album in 7 years, LOWER. The album, co-produced by Booker with underground hip-hop mastermind Kenny Segal (Armand Hammer, billy woods), is due January 24, 2025 on FIRE NEXT TIME RECORDS via Thirty Tigers.

Earlier this fall Booker announced LOWER with its explosive lead single “LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK.” The track is emblematic of the New Orleans-based artist’s mixing of experimental and lo-fi hip hop, dream and noise pop, ambient and indie rock into something that is entirely his own. He followed it up with “SAME KIND OF LONELY,” which Paste remarking,  “Booker’s hushed gospel vocal chugs forward, never outmuscled by the rapture of his fuzzed-out guitar or producer Kenny Segal’s unsettling collisions." He paired the second release with the album track “SHOW AND TELL”.

Through the changes, Booker’s lyrical self-exploration of pain and longing have been persistent, exploring themes of isolation, anger, race and spirituality in the modern age. LOWER marks the first release on Booker’s new label, FIRE NEXT RECORDS and his first co-production of his solo work.

While his previous releases dabbled in fuzzy americana-inspired garage rock and 70’s glam, LOWER presents a grittier and raw sound that Booker had been searching for for years while digging into niche music scenes and ultimately filtering them through his unique pop lens. “I wanted to get to this sound, but I didn’t know how. At some point I decided I’m going to find it or die trying.” Booker credits Segal as instrumental to this search, trading stems via email while Booker was in Australia. “Kenny was the missing piece I needed--he fills in all of my gaps. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but if I can imagine it, I can do it now.

TOUR DATES:

2/2 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *

2/4 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room *

2/5 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room*

2/6 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *

2/8 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *

2/9 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's *

2/10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux *

2/11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *

2/13 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre *

2/15 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge *

2/16 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club *

2/18 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean *

2/19 - Detroit, MI - Magic Bag *

2/21 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall *

2/22 - Montreal, QC - L'Esco *

2/23 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom *

2/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records *

2/27 - Philly, PA - Kung Fu Necktie *

2/28 - Washington, DC - Union Stage *

3/2 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy *

3/3 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 *

3/5 - Nashville, TN - 3rd and Lindsley *

3/7 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia *

* with Kenny Segal

ABOUT BENJAMIN BOOKER:

The last place you’ll find Benjamin Booker is where he was yesterday. The artist grew up in a woodsy trailer park on the outskirts of Tampa overlooking a sewage plant, surrounded by rebel flags and religious fanaticism. “The neighbors burned a cross in my yard when I was 6. We didn’t really socialize with a lot of people around us after that. I spent all of my time in my head.” 

Eventually, he found his way to the local DIY punk scene, a welcomed escape, and never looked back. After releasing his Waiting Ones EP, he was picked up by blogs and signed to a label shortly after news spread.

His 2014 self-titled debut album dabbled in fuzzy americana-inspired garage rock. The raw, stripped back, analogue recordings hinted at the past, but underneath the surface were contemporary songs about gay marriage, growing up in a post-9/11 world and erotic asphyxiation. Then, after nearly losing his life in a shooting in New Orleans, he retreated to Mexico City and wrote his second album Witness (2017)—a darker album that ran lush string arrangements, 60s balladry, boom bap, and 70s glam rock through Shawn Everett’s futuristic mixing filter. 

Both albums were met with critical acclaim and led to world tours, a spot on just about every festival you can think of and opening slots for Tame Impala, Jack White and Neil Young. But then, he disappeared. Benjamin returns now with his first new album in 7 years, LOWER.

Photo Credit: Trenity Thomas

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