The Fire by Ben Osborn

Songwriter and composer Ben Osborn returns to Nonostar with new single The Fire and b-side Jane Today, his first solo releases since his 2019 debut album Letters from the Border.

Composed in the early days of Covid-19, The Fire draws inspiration from the feeling of dread and apocalypse that the beginning of the pandemic triggered in many of us. The soft piano melody is enhanced by percussive tones emerging from the piano, creating a heady rhythm and giving a driving power to the whole song, with an echo of artists like Grouper or Björk, complemented by an arrangement of analogue synthesisers, drum machines, live percussion and violins recorded at the Nonostar Studio in Germany.

True to his love of poetry, Ben Osborn has a way with words and sounds, bringing us on a journey through the four elements at times reminiscent of Nick Drake. Despite the feeling of fear and anxiety caused by the climate disaster that seems ahead of us, what truly transpires from The Fire is a sense of hope, and a desire to keep dreaming and striving for a better world. This is a true love song, a song about how love can help us pull through hardships and bridge the distances we face.

The Fire was produced by Ben Osborn along with Nonostar’s label head Alex Stolze, who also plays violin on the track. The beat includes samples from another Nonostar artist, Qruaer, making it a perfect fit for the label.

The single’s B-side, Jane Today, is a deeply emotional and melancholic piano piece, written in homage to a family member. A reflection on illness and dementia, the piece builds a beautiful melody around only a few notes, allowing the notes to lose themselves over time to create a transporting, dreamlike atmosphere.

Due for release 8 Oct 2021

“studies” EP out 20th of May

ben-osborn.com
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