The latest single from Ben Brown is a delightfully tuneful song about escape and the feelings of release and freedom when you move on. ‘Let Go’ is another lively track that showcases Brown’s warm voice and falsetto, his ear for catchy melody and his lyrical wit. Brown says of the song: “The melody came to mind as I was walking along the Stour Estuary one evening in the rain. I think it’s about that feeling of letting go and seeing what happens. Sometimes we can over scrutinise situations that we have little control over – be it relationships, goals or whatever. If you take away some of this pressure and step back, you can better understand and enjoy… yourself!” He shot and edited the video himself and explains it simply as, “…me eating a piece of haddock cut between shots of Harwich Town and my van breaking down.”
‘Let Go’ features on Brown’s recent EP ‘Blue’, which he recorded with Frank Turner. The pair met by chance at a barbecue where Brown was performing and they struck up a friendship that led to Turner producing Brown’s songs in his home studio. Brown says of the session: “Many laughs were had at the recording and listening back to the performances you can really hear how comfortable I had become in Frank’s garden studio. At lunch time – Frank would cook me his signature dish…Pasta Surprise – which is apparently the only thing he can cook. Being a good producer is as much technical prowess as it is communication and personal skills. Frank has both of these. The songs themselves are sort of vignettes in my head – when I sing them, I can picture a scene. The way the camera would move, the grain of the film. I believe them to be well crafted – both structurally and melodically – they are more understated than my previous work, there is no loud drum kit or over-driven guitar to hide behind. For me, this is more vulnerable, and to be honest more exciting!”
Brown has been supported by the likes of Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing Essex and BBC Introducing Suffolk. It’s easy to see why – his songs are so enjoyable, engaging and distinctive. After touring the UK with Turner earlier in 2024 (see our review here), Brown has just confirmed a series of dates with Skinny Lister this winter. He’s a wonderfully entertaining performer and we recommend catching his show if you can. In the meantime, enjoy a fine example of his style with ‘Let Go’.