UK-based singer-songwriter Ben Auld composed his newly announced LP ‘Lemongrass’, set for release on February 15th, in several locations including his own apartment, his parents’ home in Norwich, and later, Canyon Sound Studio. Despite the frequent shuffling around from place to place throughout its creation, there’s a distinct sense of home captured within the record’s 10 song track-listing, whether via its emotion-laden lyrics or sunshine-y instrumentation. The record’s debut single, “D4A”, which PopWrapped are delighted to premiere and officially drops tomorrow, is a perfect example of Auld’s knack for relaying melancholy themes in sweet and upbeat ways. It’s clear that he wears his heart on his sleeve, and this first single is a testament to his openness as a songwriter.
Speaking about the track, Auld says: “This song is a folky jaunt. It’s pretty jolly sounding which I think mostly comes from the high- strung guitar and quick pace. The narrative is a classic tale of infatuation and I suppose this is just an earnest account of what that feels like, while trying to avoid being too cringey or uninspired. I guess that’s why I wanted it to sound quite merry. These sorts of feelings are intense and difficult to navigate in the moment but they’re kinda inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I also like people being able to imprint a broad range of feelings or experiences on the music and making something happy-sad-personal-ambiguous is a good way to achieve that.”
Asked what he wanted for the song in terms of its sound and style, he adds: “As with the other songs on the album, I wanted the song to sound dense and full despite the brevity. Most of the instruments are double or triple tracked and it somehow ended up creating these swells in the music which mimicked the different turns the lyrics take throughout. I spent a fair bit of time figuring out arrangements for the vocal harmonies on other songs but this was the first time it felt like they came together naturally which was cool.”
Give “D4A” a listen above and for more information on Ben Auld, follow him on Instagram.
