Video: Trace Mountains Share New Single 'Friend'

Trace Mountains, the project of Dave Benton, has shared the second single from his highly anticipated new album Into The Burning Blue, due out September 27th via Lame-O Records. In contrast to the widescreen production and frantic pace of opener “In A Dream,” today’s single “Friend” highlights a core intention of the album - that each song had the integrity to stand alone in a stripped-back setting. Over fingerpicked guitars and spry drumming, Benton reflects on confronting loneliness and finding solace in community.

Written as Benton grappled with the end of an 8-year romantic relationship, songs were pouring out of him in quick succession, often urgently before he had logically processed the emotions himself. The pressure of this period crystallized Benton’s adventurous spirit and self-renewal as he embraced new high-fidelity sounds and conviction. Writing routinely over a Roland CR-68 drum machine and enamored with the dramatic precision of 80s music, Benton enlisted Craig Hendrix (Japanese Breakfast) to bring his indie rock to immersive new heights.

Benton recalls the Tom Petty-inspired “Friend” as his proudest and most honest moment. “I like to joke that I'm a ‘loner in recovery,’” said Benton, “When I wrote "Friend," I was facing a pretty big transition in my life. I needed to address my own loneliness, and writing the song was like my first step on that path. It was my way of saying, "Yep, I feel lonely sometimes," and dealing with that good old millennial malaise. I'm just really grateful for the people in my life and trying to tackle the meaning of a word like "Friend" feels impossible, but it's fun to try.” 

Watch the surreal video here, directed by brothers Alyx & Sam Soard. On the video Sam shares “When Dave and I were brainstorming ideas for "Friend," we found ourselves reflecting on the bizarre nature of the loneliness epidemic. During one of our phone calls, I suggested portraying him as a werewolf. We both laughed at the idea initially but soon realized it was a playful way to capture the surreal social experience we’re all enduring. Dave and his reputation as a well-known cat mom brought a unique perspective to this concept. Exaggerating his personality in this creature-feature felt like a fun way to explore the song’s themes. Our goal was to use humor to emphasize the importance of genuine companionship in a world that often feels chaotic and disconnected.”

Last month Trace Mountains announced Into The Burning Blue with lead single “In A Dream,” a sprawling 7-minute epic that repossesses mid-80s rock with a cinematic and frantic American perspective. The track was praised by Rolling Stone (Songs You Need To Know), Paste Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and Stereogum, who named it one of the Best Songs of the Week (#2) and called it “a major departure” that “sounds like an organic change, as if Dave Benton had nowhere else to go.”

After a weekend of sold out NYC reunion shows for his beloved band LVL UP, Trace Mountains is preparing for a US headline tour to support Into The Burning Blue, kicking off with an east coast run in October, and a west coast run in December. Tickets available HERE.

TRACE MOUNTAIN TOUR DATES:

10/9 - Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong

10/10 - Wilmington, NC @ Reggie's

10/11 - Durham, NC @ Rubie's

10/12 - Boone, NC @ Lily's Snack Bar

10/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Altar

10/16 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement

10/17 - Columbus, OH @ Space Bar

10/18 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR

10/19 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village

10/20 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar

10/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's

10/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye

10/25 - Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts

12/3 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou's

12/4 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

12/6 - Arcata, CA @ Miniplex

12/7 - San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside

12/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers

12/11 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

12/12 - Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge

Tracklist:

01 In A Dream

02 Hard to Accept

03 Friend

04 Ponies

05 Crawling Back To You

06 Gone & Done

07 Melt

08 Cry Cry Cry

09 Won’t Go Home

“And you’re off into the burning blue” songwriter Dave Benton sings on “Ponies,” the centerpiece of Trace Mountains’ fourth full-length album Into the Burning Blue. Decorated with retro textures and violet flowers, the album begins with the crackle of a fire, as if something is burning and hatching into a new form. 

Collectively, the songs are imbued with a spectrum of weighted emotions, but the blue continued to burn, with each song adopting its respective hue — a violet reclaiming of passion, a deep sea blue of sorrow, the sky blue moments of relief and liberation when he comes up for air and sees hope on the horizon.

Out of Craig Hendrix’s (Japanese Breakfast) Philadelphia studio “The Well,”  the two employed synth-laden, reverberating atmospheres that enter the frame like layers of supernatural silk. The end result is a pensive and playful collection of songs that gallop along Fleetwood Mac pop grooves with sharp melodies and signature 80s gated snare (á la Phil Collins). The album still tumbles through Benton’s endearing observations, maintaining the candor that’s drawn people to his songwriting since his early work with indie rock band LVL UP.

Opener “In A Dream” best encapsulates Benton’s movement through the darker shades of blue. When an overlapping inspiration of David Lynch’s noir thriller Blue Velvet and Bruce Springsteen’s 1987 album Tunnel of Love coalesced, Benton set out to create an ominous world driven by synth leads and his stream of consciousness. The apex of the song is a triumphant exhale. “We wanted that moment to feel like coming out of a dark tunnel,” Benton remembers. “I think we achieved it.”

Similar sensations of eerie acceleration come from “Crawling Back To You,” the first song written for the record while Benton was still in his relationship, restlessly approaching his deepest shade of blue. Propelled by a hypnotic bass line, the song speeds by as Benton explores the perfect storm of necessary conflict and conflict-avoidance in romantic relationships. It served as a vessel to himself: “I was really in complete denial about what the song is actually about. I've noticed a few instances where things that I'm feeling but not consciously thinking come out in my songs, and this is one of them.” 

“Hard to Accept” and “Ponies” best represent the fusion of Trace Mountains sound from past and present. Benton’s lo-fi pop tendencies become clearer pathways, embellished by the impressive cast of collaborators he corralled to showcase his songwriting. Vocalist Jill Ryan (of Great Time) adds breezy harmonies and a sprightly flute solo on “Hard to Accept.” Meg Duffy (of Hand Habits) seals “Ponies” to a tight close with a distorted guitar solo that careens around Benton’s vocals. Guitarists Jim Hill (Slight Of) and Josh Marré (Blue Ranger) made their marks all throughout the album with e-bow and electric licks. Logan Roth (Slaughter Beach, Dog) played synthesizers and piano solos that bring a Bruce Hornsby vitality to Benton’s guitar-driven musings.

“Ponies” introduces Benton’s first glimpse of fresh air and acceptance. As the lyrical crux of the album, it builds into its final chorus like a racing heart, with Benton reflecting: “you just don’t know what there could be left to do / you tried, you did the best you could / but you’re off into the burning blue / you’re riding true like the ponies do.” As the album continues, you start to feel him come up for more air. On the lush and downtempo “Melt” he blooms into his violet shade as he pens an intimate expression of love and desire. On the twangy “Gone & Done” he begins candidly with “hey now, look what you’ve gone and done, caught me out having fun.” 

As Benton found himself among a major life shift, he found refuge and revelation in his songwriting. He was thrust into new creative territories, resulting in an album that defies the boundaries of his past work. Into the Burning Blue is a testament to moving forward and keeping your eyes on the burning horizon line—capturing heartache, joy, and growth in equal measure. 

Photo credit: Jackson Eudy

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