Some artists always look on the bright side. Ben de la Cour is not one of them.
This Nashville singer-songwriter’s style — quite rightly dubbed Americana noir — exists much closer to the dark end of the lyrical spectrum, in a netherworld populated by desperate characters coping with death, suicide, drug addiction, depression and other dire straits. If Townes Van Zandt, Warren Zevon, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle and Tom Waits wrote songs together, they might sound a lot of like de la Cour’s beautifully grim, exquisitely crafted and fearlessly uncompromising work. Listen to his newest album Sweet Anhedonia and hear for yourself; produced the enigmatic eccentric Jim White, it’s Ben’s most vivid and fully realized work to date — and an album that will take up permanent residence in your brain, heart and soul. From his latest tour supporting Peter Case, de la Cour Zoomed in to discuss songwriting, recording with White, his colourful past as a boxer and heavy metal guitarist and much more. Enjoy.
