This latest album from Benjamin Booker was released on January 24th this year, but I just got around to hearing it maybe a week ago. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write about this one since it’s not technically a Hip Hop album, but since it’s perhaps my favorite album that I’ve heard so far from 2025, I decided I had to share my feelings about it. This isn’t a full album review, so I’m only gonna be talking about a handful of tracks, but it should be noted that there’s only one song on here that I don’t see myself returning to, and it’s not even a bad song. I’ll explain why I skip it a little later on in this write-up.

The very first thing that stood out to me about this album was the production from Kenny Segal. The opening track has a very riveting fuzzy guitar-driven beat that captures my attention immediately. The album cover is very fitting because the instrumentals are really dark and gritty-sounding. The next thing that jumped out to me was the breathy vocal style from Benjamin. He sings with a really chilling vocal delivery that I love.

I really enjoyed the first 6 tracks on the album, but it wasn’t until I got to NEW WORLD that I started to get really blown away. This one kinda stands out from the tracklist due to the relatively light instrumental. The piano sample and lively percussion is pretty danceable. This is probably the most danceable song on the whole album. It feels more Pop-oriented than most of the others. The extra instrumentation that comes in after two minutes and forty seconds sounds phenomenal. I would really love to see Benjamin Booker do one of those Genius videos where artists break down their lyrics because I’m honestly not sure what this song is about.

I know wicked when I see it
And I know it's a twisted war
And I know it's mother and father
And I know what the bodies are for
You can't be who you are without me
Without me beneath you
You can't be who you are without me
Down here

There are multiple songs on here that I don’t understand lyrically to be honest, but I think I just need to spend more time with the album.

The following track is called SAME KIND OF LONELY, and it was released ahead of the album’s full release as a single if I’m not mistaken.

---

This was my favorite track on the album on my first listen of the project. It’s another relatively Poppy sounding track in my opinion. The lyrics are pretty sad. It feels like a really dark song, especially during the bridge in which Benjamin sings “I’m lookin’ for the real thing” over and over again while the sounds of gunshots and screaming play in the background. That part is kind of disturbing to listen to for me honestly. The melody of the chorus is perhaps the main reason I love this song so much. Well, the instrumentation sounds pretty amazing too, so that certainly elevates it quite a bit. After multiple listens, I think NEW WORLD has surpassed this one as my favorite track, but both of them are top tier.

The penultimate track is called HEAVY ON MY MIND, and it’s the only song that I don’t really return to at all. I think it’s very solid, but it just lacks replay value for me. At this point on the record I started to grow a bit weary of Benjamin’s vocal delivery. It became clear to me that he doesn’t exactly have the most range with his voice. The low-key instrumental was a bit underwhelming to me as well. It’s just a relatively unexciting track to me. The one aspect of it that I do really like a lot is the writing. I think the lyrics are really good.

Happiness, oh happiness
You've been heavy on my mind
Oh, and the past
Oh, it just lasts
Moving further on in time
If there's hell then there's heaven
I hope I get there with you
See, the way you're feeling
They can never stop it
They may try, I refuse
I want more than a dream

I find the poetic lyricism to be really beautiful. I just wish the song was as enjoyable sonically as it is lyrically for me. It’s a solid track overall though. I definitely like it to some extent.

The closing track is one last major highlight called HOPE FOR THE NIGHT TIME. I really adore the way the this song begins. I guess it would be considered a slow burn, but in the best way possible. The way the song builds up just sounds so cool, and just like with the preceding track, the lyricism is really gorgeous. I love the storytelling here about being a hopeless drunkard.

I was on the ground
I mean, the literal ground
Drunk out of my mind, they said it's closing time
And then they threw me out
I was half asleep
Then they woke me up
Told me everything is going to be what it is
But yeah, you gotta get up
Then they took me home
Put me in my bed
Took off both my shoes, said a man can choose
To crawl or stand up

The writing all throughout this album is really interesting, even when I don’t fully understand what’s trying to be conveyed. Like I said, Benjamin doesn’t have the widest range vocally, but the breathy style still sounds really great. The production is probably the album’s greatest strength though to be honest. Kenny Segal is a beast, man. I love these instrumentals so much. Overall, I think this album is really great, and I’d honestly say it’s my favorite thing I’ve heard from 2025. Shoutout to my friend Noah for putting me on to it. It’s excellent.