Ben Hughes, I Never Meant To Come Off That Way

Album: I Never Meant To come Off That Way
Artist: Ben Hughes
Genre: Indie Rock, Acoustic Lo-Fi, Surviving Y2Kcore
RIFYL: Ben Folds, Damien Rice, Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins
Favorite Track(s): No One's song, More Than Me

I'm not really much of a quiet music kind of guy; many people know me to be into very loud, abrasive punk rock, metal, and post hardcore (as well as the occasional 90's hip hop record). But everyone needs to mellow out, and have some peace of mind. But then we have albums like I Never Meant To Come Off That Way that come along, make you take a step back, and relax.

Ben Hughes is an artist from the Philadelphia area who really has it figured out. Hailing from the band Night Windows, Hughes will be releasing a new solo album each month for the rest of the year.
Not only is that an impressive feat, but he definitely writes some satisfying and clear material.

The acoustic guitars are produced very well here, they beautifully carry the vocals melodies of Hughes, as well as the harmonies he is singing with himself (a skill that is relatively hard for most vocalists). The harmonies specifically are very well done, almost akin to Jim Adkins on Jimmy Eat World's Clarity, as his lower register and falsetto compliment most of the main vocal melodies. Tracks like Setting In highlight this technique well, and are very reminiscent of Ben Folds first solo album, Rockin' The Suburbs. Lyrically Hughes is also on the right track. Everything is simple enough to sing to, yet powerful enough to make you think, especially on the tracks More Than Me and No One's Song.

One thing I would suggest to Ben is that maybe for future releases, he should put more low-tempo songs in between higher tempo songs. It does make for a good flow in between tracks, but makes it harder to differentiate when a new track starts and a new track ends.

Otherwise this DIY guy has it all figured out. Check out his bandcamp for future releases. He should have a new album up for February, and I can't wait to hear it!

8/10
https://benhughes.bandcamp.com/