{"title":"Ben Auld","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"lemongrass","title":"Lemongrass","description":"\u003cp\u003eBen Auld writes songs whose heartbreak and wonder reveal themselves moments after the warmth of their beauty sinks in, like slipping into the ocean on a bronzy morning. Whether he's singing about bookstores and porches or ghosts and space stations, the Bristol, UK-based singer-songwriter imbues his straight-to-tape gems with a radiant AM pop warmth. And on \u003ci\u003eLemongrass\u003c\/i\u003e, via Earth Libraries, that comfy songwriting crackles and pops somewhere between Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons. Auld's debut record brims with homespun charm, dazzling melodies, and lyrics that burrow deep into the heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout the album, the immaculately arranged compositions provide the perfect frame for smooth and rosiny vocals. Utilising a series of reel-to-reel tape machines, Auld chose to meticulously stack his instrumentation rather than simplify; some songs have dozens of instrumental tracks, all assembled on tape. \"I'd record three tracks, bounce that over, and then record another three. I did it alone and it took a long time to figure out what was possible,\" he says. \"I went through two four-track recorders, an 8-track 1\/2\" reel-to-reel, and finished the album on a TASCAM 388. One of the biggest challenges of the album was fixing all the broken old gear.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith each new listen, \u003ci\u003eLemongrass\u003c\/i\u003e becomes a fonder friend, Auld's heart-on-his-sleeve lyricism and intimate songwriting building a deeper nest. \"The time is ours\/ Our time is now,\" he insists on the psychedelic wonder of \"Our Time Is Now\", more certain and wide-eyed than urgent. Through first love and heartbreak, dawns and apocalypses, \u003ci\u003eLemongrass\u003c\/i\u003e keeps turning, collecting flickers of astral bliss with each rotation, Auld's thumping heartbeat at the core.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Earth Libraries","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50458664894795,"sku":"1164901","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/61f15f8c-0875-4008-b097-9290ec68d071_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727212812"},{"product_id":"loserdom","title":"Loserdom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBen Auld is a power-pop artist out of Norwich, UK. His band is made up of close friends that are active in the local scene. It features Duncan Baker on drums, Conor Etteridge on guitar, and George Witty on bass. A fan of lo-fi, scrappy DIY bands like Guided By Voices, The Replacements and Bill Fox, Auld spent his early twenties learning how to write the perfect 2 minute pop song. He also spent this time figuring out how to record to tape, and produce his own recordings. He moved to Bristol at 25 and befriended jazz musician and potter Nick Dover, who let him moonlight at his recording studio ‘Canyon Sound’. Over a two-year period he wrote and recorded the songs that would become \u003cem\u003eLemongrass\u003c\/em\u003e (Earth Libraries, 2022), having performed and produced it entirely solo.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn his late twenties, Auld moved back to his hometown after struggling to replicate the community he had back in Norwich. At this point, he began performing the songs of Lemongrass with friends who encouraged him to play live.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“When I finished Lemongrass I sent it to my sister and she shared it with her boyfriend Conor and his housemate Duncan. They were super into it and so supportive.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe also began playing drums in an alt-country band for the next few years, touring Northern Europe and the length and breadth of the UK, before focusing once again on his solo work. Loserdom, Auld’s second album, is a co-release by UK label Safe Suburban Home and US label Repeating Cloud and represents a big departure from his earlier twee-folk sound. Loserdom is a louder and more ambitious shift toward blown-out power-pop, inspired by records like Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub, Pinkerton by Weezer and Tony Molina’s Dissed and Dismissed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuld wrote the record during a period of personal upheaval. Moving cities, leaving relationships and quitting bands resulted in songs filled with resentment, shame and a sardonic, over-the-top admission of failure. These songs are also a celebration of the relief that comes when you accept your losses. Auld first heard the term “Loserdom” said by Walter Becker in a Steely Dan documentary: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“I thought it was such a funny and tragic term and felt some affinity with it”.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLayered vocal harmonies and Bach-inspired guitar solos give the impression of a rock opera, while the arrangement and structure of these songs are concise and always conscious to not feel superfluous. Each song squeezes itself under the 3 minute mark with unhinged feedback, ripping solos and a refreshing degree of unpredictability.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe drums and rhythm guitars were tracked at Sick Room Studios in the Norfolk countryside, and were engineered by Owen Turner who owns and runs the studio. All of the remaining pieces (the solos, bass, keys and vocals) were then recorded over a period of almost a year at Auld’s home. The record was mixed down to ¼” tape with Auld’s bandmate Conor Etteridge assisting with the mixing process. Auld reached out to Dylan Wall to master the record, having appreciated his work on Hotline TNT’s\u003cem\u003e Nineteen in Love.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eLoserdom\u003c\/em\u003e is certainly influenced by melodic, harmony-rich American bands such as Weezer, Jellyfish and Big Star, as well as the 90s Glasgow power-pop scene. Auld channels the heartfelt lyricism of Norman Blake’s songs in Teenage Fanclub, as well as the absurd guitar wizardry of Tony Molina. In doing so, Loserdom amps up the emotion, harmonies, and volume for an album that captures a rocky life transition with tongue-in-cheek drama.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Safe Suburban Home Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Transparent","offer_id":56788470038859,"sku":"R9418-7816","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/46ab8a15-c130-a228-62b2-a51ef5238693.jpg?v=1773406128"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/ben-auld.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}