Setting the tone with enigmatic piano, emerging artist Benjamin David opens his debut single Temporary Lovers with the emotive lyrics, “Picture a Scandinavian river, you dove head-first into the reaper’s lair, I still go back there every winter, hoping to God that you’ll come up for air, but you’re never there…”
Temporary Lovers is the first independently released song by Benjamin David, dubbed “an anthemic soul-rock eulogy”. The song is about the pain of losing someone and the challenges of moving on without that person. He was inspired to write it when he saw the suffering his mother went through after losing her husband (Benjamin’s father) to cancer. Speaking on the emotion of the track, the rising artist says, “My heart goes out to everyone who has lost someone during the pandemic”.
We are enamoured by the way that Benjamin David paints a vivid picture with his poetic lyricism, and the build and resolution in the production of the song.
The guitar solo is reminiscent of Prince, and we love the diversity in vocal delivery from Benjamin, which is truly multi-dimensional.
Some lyrical highlights include the profound “I’ve gotta find my peace”, the vivid hook “may your spirit fly, cause we’re temporary lovers”, the timeless “cause love it never dies”, the vulnerable “don’t know if I’m built that strong”, and the emotive “then I’m gonna spend my life in love with you”.
Benjamin David is from Hackney in London and when citing influences, Benjamin includes David Bowie, Prince, Kate Bush, Kendrick Lamar and Rage Against The Machine, which we can feel elements of in Temporary Lovers.
According to Benjamin, the song also speaks of “political upheaval in the world and how young people can find their place in it”.
Benjamin grew up in a family of musicians and began recording 4-track demos at the age of 11. After graduating from The BRIT School at 18, he began performing regularly in London clubs (The Bedford, The Half Moon, The Spice Of Life and The Troubadour).
‘Temporary Lovers’ is the first in a series of singles created in collaboration with up- and-coming local producers and video artists. The singles will be coming out in 2022, after which Benjamin plans to release his finished debut album, a project produced in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Kipper.
We are excited by the prospect of new Benjamin David songs, meanwhile, we are streaming Temporary Lovers on repeat and it is also featured in our New Music Spotlight playlist.