Benny Sings’ Stones Throw Debut! Tim van Berkestijn, aka Benny Sings, achieved US popularity over the last decade with a string of collaborations with Mayer Hawthorne, Rex Orange County, and Mac Demarco, as well as a few sync placements on HBO and Netflix. True to its name, his seventh record City Pop is a collection of largely autobiographical songs recorded by the prolific Dutch pop artist across NYC, LA, Tokyo, Paris, and his studio in Amsterdam. Much like the actual Japanese genre of city pop, the record draws on its fair share of ‘70s yacht rock and AOR tropes, but Benny Sings sets it apart with his signature ‘90s hip-hop inspired grooves tossed in. Stand-out tracks include the lead single “Not Enough” and “Softly (Tokyo),” which features the influential Japanese musician and producer Cornelius. 11 tracks on baby blue vinyl.

• 2018 Stones Throw debut featuring Cornelius, Mayer Hawthorne + more
• baby blue colored vinyl
• printed lyric insert
• digital download included
• music label: Stones Throw 2021

reviewed by SHH! 06/2021