Artist:     Bencoolen

Album:     Daydream

Label:     Self-released

Release Date:     3.8.2019

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What began as a lark is now serious business for college friends Paul Gregg and Teddy Scott, as lineup instability, constant reinvention and perilous travel experiences since its formation in 2014 have shaped and molded Bencoolen into a vibrant and modern flying trapeze act of rock.

Still finding its way in the world, the genre-bending outfit—its roster fleshed out in mid-2016 with the arrivals of bassist Ben Suarez, saxophonist Jack Bentsen and drummer/backup vocalist Will “Willy Pipes” Lockery—explores vast musical terrain with youthful vim and vigor on its colorful debut LP, Daydream. Boasting strong, well-defined instrumental chops, along with a tuneful pop sensibility that blooms in the dreamy disco swirl of opener “Tonight” and the soft Southern-rock incandescence of its shimmering successor “Don’t Wanna Wait,” Bencoolen wears its open-hearted soul on its sleeves, much like My Morning Jacket. It helps that the vocals on Daydream seem to channel Jim James’ expressive glow and cosmic wonderment.

Able to whip up powerful surges and guitar-propelled floods of multi-layered sound, Bencoolen updates the bluesy classic-rock dynamics of Led Zeppelin and Cream with a more contemporary sheen in “Habits” and closes Daydream by unleashing a swarming, psychedelic colossus of a title track. Theirs is a muscular, immense and daring aesthetic, underpinned a sort of jazz-oriented philosophy, and they’re out to prove that searing guitar shred, sinewy groove and an adventurous spirit still matter. By the same token, they have the versatility and buoyancy to indulge in hot funk workouts such as the infectious and chunky “Forgive Me” and the slower, bumpier ride through an intoxicating “Roll On.” Daydream is restless and all over the musical map, which makes it unpredictable and interesting. At this stage of the game, Bencoolen can afford to take risks and do whatever they want. That’s real independence. That’s freedom.

—Peter Lindblad