‘…a confrontational, disquieting, and enigmatic behemoth that engulfs the listener in their entirety, stripping genre and structure of their meaning…’
Benefits probably shouldn’t be here anymore.
Famed for their blinding aggression, walls of incomprehensible noise, and poetry styled lyricism, the band unleashed their fiery debut, ‘Nails’, in 2023, garnering much praise for their cathartic and often darkly witty approach to political commentary. Yet between the departure of long-term member Hugh Major and the band’s continual problems with finding a long-term drummer, it was unclear how they would continue to function. When your noise-rock band can’t keep a drummer, what do you do?
For the duo of Kingsley Hall and Robbie Major, the answer was simple: become an experimental house-noise-avant-garde-dance-post-punk project. For those whom have witnessed the band play live, the change isn’t as jarring as one might expect; they have always flirted with the sounds of house and dance, remixing their songs for the live arena in electrifying ways. Regardless, even to the longterm listener of Benefits, the manner in which the duo have evolved will prove to have plenty of unexpected moments on their astounding sophomore record, ‘Constant Noise’.
To review an album such as this is a difficult task. Hooks are sparse and melodies are nearly entirely absent; this isn’t a record to sing along to, nor one to throw on the background whilst going about your day. ‘Constant Noise’ is a confrontational, disquieting, and enigmatic behemoth that engulfs the listener in their entirety, stripping genre and structure of their meaning. As the opening title track builds with monstrous fury, and Hall asks ‘What will I be required to hate today?’, you come to realise that this is not a noise-rock album, but instead the sound of a dying empire.
‘Land of the Tyrants‘ presents the north of the UK as some wilderness long-forgotten by the ruling elite; a desolate landscape with scattered congregations of simple folk who are easy to placate with false promises, whilst enabling the total disembowelling of any sense of culture or community. The featured vocals of ZERA TØNIN add to the track’s eerie mystique, swirling above the grounded tones of Hall and the luscious yet minimalist beats that surge forwards. ‘Missiles‘, on the other hand, is a simply harrowing listen, with an ominous backdrop of droning tones sprawling beneath Hall’s softly spoken poetry. It serves as a bleak look into the distance we place between ourselves, and those of war-torn nations, as we funnel our anger at the world into nothing of worth whilst headlines of genocide remain just another pop-up on some online social feed. Perhaps what makes it particularly impactful is Hall’s refusal to paint himself as some innocent bystander in it all, and remains acutely aware that he too partakes in the mud-slinging culture wars that have become Britain’s national past-time.
The jewel in the crown across the record is ‘Divide’. This high-octane banger features rapped passages from Shakk, who delivers his lyrics with machine gun aggression, perfectly contrasting the slower-paced venom of Hall’s prowling vocals, with the duo remarking the constant division and in-fighting sowed by grifting agitators. The track shifts and morphs effortlessly across its five minute runtime, only ever building upwards with electrifying intensity, and commanding you to dance in the face of impending doom.
Two noise-rock oriented tracks erupt through the luscious electronic backdrop, serving almost as jolting interludes that haul you from the swirling miasma for a brief moment of air. ‘Lies And Fear‘ and ‘Terror Forever‘ both refuse to reach the two-minute mark, and feature a minimalist line up of noise, drums and vocals, delivered with maximal aggression. The former in particular of these two tracks sees Hall revert back to his trademark bellowing, positioned directly in front of the listener as his shouts bear down upon you with a torrent of pummelling percussive beats. For those who prefer what the band attempted on their debut LP, these tracks are certain to appeal, yet don’t mistake this as simple retreading of old ground; they serve as ironic moments of pause in the midst of the constant thumping of the rest of the record, breaking up the melancholic density with some much needed aggressive catharsis.
‘Blame’ pulses with a heavy dance beat that fizzles with industrial distortion, whilst Hall’s vocals scrape against the bright synths and fizzing bleeps and beeps; it makes for unexpectedly danceable anger. ‘Dancing On The Tables‘ pushes the notions of being catchy even further, with this acerbic cut featuring some particularly playful lyricism layered over tripping rhythms and wobbling, fuzzy instrumentals. Hall paints the west as a carnival of excess, where anything is possible (as long as you can afford it) and nothing bad can ever stop the celebration (as long as you stop paying attention to the world around you). Even the central hook feels sardonic in nature, as Hall mumbles the word ‘yeah‘ repeatedly in a manner that is incredibly catchy. It’s an empty sentiment, seemingly devoid of any other purpose than to give the listener something tangible to sing-along to so that the sour truths of the rest of the track are watered down; a perfect illustration of bread and circuses.
However, by the time the listener gets to ‘The Brambles’, any pretences that Benefits had of making music to be enjoyed are wholly obliterated. This is a deeply unsettling number, with the instrumental amounting to little more than the suggestion of a disconcerting, brooding Gregorian chant. Hall paints perfectly the reality of northern towns, divorced from metropolitan hubs; streets are lined with vape shops and shuttered local businesses, whilst anything remotely resembling a third space has been consigned to the past. The hollow absence of community is brought to life through his melancholic drawl, with Hall existing as little more than a ghost in the ruins.
With the album now in a state of total desolation, the credits roll with the warm, dreamy, yet deeply melancholy ‘Burnt Out Family Home‘, with Hall eschewing his shouts and spoken word for a soft croon. There is a heartbreaking sense of longing that fills every moment of this gorgeous closing moment, with Hall casting a vagrant figure, existing as a stranger in his own homeland, and wishing to be taken back to some time when the world didn’t feel gutted of hope. It’s a beautiful way of closing this record, and in the moments of silence that follow the track’s dying moments, you are left with a feeling that simply refuses to be put into words. Let ‘Constant Noise‘ in, and it will change you.
It may be a bold statement, but it is one declared with total conviction: Benefits have produced one of the most important and astute musical commentaries of modern British society. No record has ever come close to capturing the anger, grief, and decline that is woven into the very fabric of the culture; an empire clinging to what little it has left with a strangling grip. The hopeful, righteous anger of ‘Nails’ is gone, and is replaced with a deep, gnawing dread.
For some, it will seem like the nonsensical ramblings of some northern Brit, and that’s okay; listeners who don’t get it are probably divorced from the abject existential horror that ‘Constant Noise’ grapples with. This is the patient soundtrack of demise; team red beat team blue, yet there is no euphoria to be found in the shambling, rotting corpse of the British Empire. Foreign children keep being killed by a genocide we fund. The NHS is non-functional and the high streets are going extinct. The kids are slipping into the grasp of fascist hate-preachers. Everybody is so angry, all of the time.
There is nothing but ceaseless, unstoppable, constant noise.
‘Constant Noise‘ by Benefits is now the twelfth Vinyl Fantasy Reviews 100/100 record.
RATING: 100/100 – Perfect
For Fans Of: Swans, Clipping, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Earth, IDLES
Physical copies are available to purchase here.
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