Album Review: The Bennies - 'Heavy Disco'

The Bennies know how to party. During their exhaustive tour schedule the band found a spare moment to record the Heavy Disco EP and its sound is a victim of circumstance. There are many artists that try to capture the ‘party’ spirit, but tend to end up performing as a gross caricature of hanging out and having fun (Redfoo anyone?). Luckily, the band isn’t into pretending; they’re in it for the good times.

From the blistering opener, title track, ‘Heavy Disco’ it’s clear that The Bennies couldn’t care less about anything but partying. The main riff is simple and fast-paced, but the overlaid synth effects keep the energy high and emulate the out of control nature of a wild night on the town. ‘Stay Free’ seems as if it will follow the same frenetic path as the first track with similar sounding synths, but it evolves into a caffeinated ska beat alongside lovelorn lyrics.

Vocalist Anty always sounds as if his voice will crack completely and edge over the acceptable ‘out of tune’ singing style, but that’s half the fun anyway. The general public aren’t legitimately skilled vocalists and singing along with someone who is only marginally more talented (in the most complimentary way possible) means that The Bennies are one of the most relatable acts in music today. The EP may even cause the listener to question themselves about why they slave away everyday at a job they hate, when everyday guys like The Bennies are out enjoying themselves and living the life they always wanted.

Keeping up with the everyman image, the aptly named ‘Party Whirlwind’ opens with trumpets and its catchy trumpet hooks along with the call and response, “where’s the fucking party?” is bound to be a favourite at live shows, summer parties and anywhere that good times are had. Penultimate track 'What’s Your Fuckin Problem' chills the vibe right out before launching headlong into a frenzied wall of sound which settles into a reggae inspired beat. This head-nodding groove underpins a bizarre experimental electronic solo at the halfway point with the following guitar solo serving as psychedelic dopamine; it’s safe to say that by this point this album wasn’t recorded under a guise of sobriety. With ‘Green-mix City’, The Bennies explicitly show their allegiance to marijuana and while they smoke weed, everyone else is seemingly working hard at a job they hate. Regardless of an individual’s stance on the plant, it’s a perfect chill out song for the end of a hard day and finishes the album on a high.

By keeping Heavy Disco short and sweet The Bennies ensure that their appeal doesn’t wear thin, and the EP flows like smoke through a chamber. If the band can serve up this kind of material in a delirium of alcohol, touring and weed, then it’s obvious that behind their seemingly lackadaisical attitude, there is a band determined to succeed. The record can be summed up with a direct call out to their detractors from ‘What’s Your Fuckin Problem’: “you ain’t worth shit and I think I’m doing fine”. The Bennies are more than doing fine; they’re living the dream.

1. Heavy Disco

2. Stay Free

3. Party Whirlwind

4. What's Your Fuckin Problem

5. Green-mix City