Ben DeHan creates a unique sound somewhere between Machine Gun Kelly and Angels & Airwaves, with an authenticity that can only be earned as a kid who saw the country through the window of a 15 passenger van and the urgency of a man who has seen the inside of a cubicle.
His meticulously programmed beats, LoFi keyboards, and singalong choruses have drawn comparisons to artists like the 1975 and The Band Camino, while the use of acoustic guitars and a “wear your heart on your sleeve” vocal performance will feel right at home for fans of 90’s pop/rock and New Alt in the vane of COIN or THE WLDLFE.
With the same cautious optimism as a child who has burned their hand on the stove, Ben approaches songwriting with a familiar yet new and weathered curiosity. The distorted guitars of his pop-punk influences have been traded for atmospheric string arrangements. The intentional space left in the production is filled with a vocal performance oozing with pop sensibility. There is a warm sincerity in Ben’s voice, but he delivers his lyrics with an urgency that begs to be believed. His debut EP, New Nostalgia, is a set of songs that could easily be played with an acoustic guitar, but have been reconstructed and given a digital pulse.
As a member of the Baltimore-based pop-punk band American Diary, Ben cut his teeth playing the 2008 Warped Tour. Feeling despondent in a broken scene, line-up changes and upside-down record deals, Ben took a hiatus from the music business before re-emerging as a solo artist. Equipped with a DIY work ethic and a decade more of life experiences, Ben came out the other side with a greater appreciation and love for the records he grew up with and the process it took to make them. What had started with an acoustic guitar and hundreds of voice memos became fleshed out arrangements with the help of girlfriend/collaborator/cellist Lauren White. Together they enlisted the help of producer Sam Pura (The Dangerous Summer, The Story So Far) to help find the sound that would bring their ideas to life. Littered with Catharsis, Joy, and Introspection, his songs connect on an emotional level. Something nostalgic but new, his music becomes a life soundtrack.
