Benjamin Booker has announced the release of his third album “Lower” on 24th January 2025 through Fire Next Time Records via Thirty Tigers. The album, co-produced by Booker with underground hip-hop mastermind Kenny Segal (Armand Hammer, billy woods), finds the New Orleans-based artist mixing experimental and lo-fi hip hop, dream and noise pop, ambient and indie rock into a sound of his own. Through the changes, Booker’s lyrical self-exploration of pain and longing have been persistent, exploring themes of isolation, anger, race and spirituality in the modern age. “Lower” marks the first release on Booker’s new label, Fire Next Time Records and his first co-production of his solo work.
Booker’s last album, “Witness”, came out in 2017 and Booker toured extensively behind it including memorable London shows at Moth Club and ULU. Since then, he has been quiet except for a 2020 single ‘Black Disco’ and a couple of collaborations. While his previous releases dabbled in bluesy fuzzy americana-inspired garage rock “Lower” presents a grittier raw sound that Booker had been seeking for years. “I wanted to get to this sound, but I didn’t know how. At some point I decided I’m going to find it or die trying.” Booker credits Segal as instrumental to this search, trading stems via email while Booker was in Australia. “Kenny was the missing piece I needed–he fills in all of my gaps. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but if I can imagine it, I can do it now.” You can pre-save on this link and pre-order here.
Booker has released a single ‘LWA In The Trailer Park’ with an accompanying video which you can watch below. Booker says of the video “I felt particularly connected to Paul Schrader’s work making this album. Like several of his movies, I wanted to look at a troubled character on the edge, reaching for transcendence. Now that I’m working on a series of connected videos, Schrader has had an influence in that arena as well, along with Jean-Pierre Melville’s ‘Le Samourai’ and Charles Burnett’s ‘Killer of Sheep’.”
