Fresh off a private, Seger-themed pizza party paid by the fat check Patient Sounds sent him for last year’s Real Domestic Scene, Ben Varian is cuddling up with another tape label, whispering sweet-nothings, swapping field recordings over toast, and prepping Ben’s new album Part of the Y’all with MJMJ Records. The relationship begin back in June when Ben was featured in a long list of future MJMJ releases on their Back in Business Vol. 3 mixtape. The song, “Cop Car Parking Lot,” was a PSA to hot summer lovebirds everywhere, saying “that’s a cop car parking lot, try not to make out there.” Thanks, Ben.
Part of the Y’all has five of the 12 song album streaming at MJMJ’s Bandcamp prior to it’s July 28 released date. All of which boast Ben’s dry honesty – a commonality with friend and frequent tourmate Jake Tobin – peppered over jazzy bedroom funk (“Float Day,” an instrumental, was literally recorded on a mattress he was living on). But nothing in Part of the Y’all screams Ben Varian like “Throw Away My Hair.” An unsettled message to the second half of an unsettled relationship, advising over phone lines, “I know it makes a nice souvenir, but you have to throw away my hair.” It’s kinda sad, but when said over Ben’s easygoing, proggy sound, I feel better about the whole thing. Maybe that’s the point. Part of the Y’all is another seamless collection of words scratched into a legal pad from Ben Varian.
Alright, you can preorder a Part of the Y’all pro-dubbed cassette for $6.66 and peep the big ol’ MJMJ back catalog – where every album is available digitally for $4.20 – on Bandcamp OR, if you’re a big ol’ MJMJ fan, you can get the MJMJ Records Subscription Service! It includes ALL of their new releases at 25% off the retail cost PLUS two past releases. P.S. the twelfth song isn’t available for digital download, but it is a part of the cassette. No big spoilers, but Ben’s bringing back the skit! Ben Varian and MJMJ, changing the game.
• Ben Varian: https://benvarian.bandcamp.com
• MJMJ Records: https://mjmjrecords.bandcamp.com
More about: Ben Varian
