Thursday October 14, 2021
After leaving a long corporate career and beginning formal music studies, Ben Walker decided on a career change—and so far, so good.
The Australian singer-songwriter has now released Castles, the first taste of his debut EP Time to Go. The new track follows the success of three singles released in 2020, Playing Alone, Money in the Jar and Smiles.
The latest release is a folk-tinged adult contemporary song with a narrative that explores the mysterious and all-encompassing subject of being a parent. Ben tells the story behind Castles, ‘As a parent, there is nothing better than seeing your children completely lost in play. The song is trying to portray that parental instinct, the desire to give your children everything they could possibly need and want for a magical childhood.
The reality is life’s hard, and we don’t always know the backstory. There is normally a lot more going on in people’s lives.’ The track opens with an acoustic guitar, with Ben’s vocal leading us into this world of contemplation and considered observation. With a vocal style reminiscent of Mark Knopfler and Paul Kelly combined, Ben’s understated treatment of this subject matter infuses the track with subdued nuance.
As the narrative opens up, setting the scene with the character and ‘coffee time, the routine way’, so too does the music—the rhythmic elements solidified, the spaces in the chorus a reminder of the craft of the writing and the following tasteful musical touches that go on to create a dense though still folk-enriched sound. This is in keeping with how Ben would like to be viewed as an artist, as he says, ‘Poetry put to music, I really want a listener to bathe in the song and get carried away either by the metaphor and imagery or by the melody.’
Castles is a rich musical experience in so many ways; a feeling of stillness pervades the track, adding to the strength of the melodies and the poignant realism of the lyric.
Ben Walker