In today’s age, technology has flooded our lives with content. Caught in the mire are modern musicians who champion an art form that’s more widely distributed than any other throughout human history. And we, more often than not, overlook the music created by unfamiliar faces because it’s challenging. We’d rather have an easy listen, a known quantity to skim through while we think about something else.
Hearing is easy, but listening is difficult. Welcome to “Why We Like It”, where we rebuke the trends in favor of thoughtful analysis and underknown sounds.
“Fragile” — Benjamin Carter
Listen On:
How We Found It
Neo-soul and indie pop artist, Benjamin Carter, strummed his way into our SubmitHub inbox. Finding influences in Bon Iver, Daniel Caesar, and Matt Corby, Carter brings his unique experiences of racial oppression, heartbreak, addiction and more to his music. Being a new father as well, Carter tries to paint his reality in song.
Why We Like It
In the summertime, most people want a good bopilicious (yeah I made that word up…don’t judge me) song that they can drive the highway down to their favorite beach and can be sung along to at the highest volume. Kinda bubblegum pop or infectiously sweet with a hook or chorus to match but this all null and void in the midst of COVID. But it wouldn’t have mattered for me anyway, because my perfect summer anthem comes in the form of a comforting soul song with some funky vibes. And lucky for me, Benjamin Carter delivers with “Fragile”.
I just want to lay under the sun on an open field with some nice grass and sink into the song. And while the tune makes me want to be in the wild, sonically, it sounds like I’m diving into the system and becoming one with a digital landscape. The guitar is light and almost psychedelic in nature but there’s more to it than that. It’s the thumping line that keeps it centered. As the song drifts along, the chorus has a soaring effect on me as if I’m above the floating vocal delivered by Carter. It’s harmonious, calming, and thought provoking all at the same time.
Lyrically, the song seems to be detailing this man and this new love affair he’s falling into but so close to falling apart if it doesn’t work out. From the first date at breakfast to his now almost obsessive love. His fragile nature is the very thing that keeps him going because if he doesn’t continue pursuing this current source of affection then he’ll be left with nothing in the end but an empty, shattered shell. The rap verse comes by to add layers to the psyche of the love struck protagonist as his surroundings have made him artificial and lonely. His introspective mind is stuck and trying to hold onto this new thing he’s perceived as real. It’s complex yet relatable.
I know I have a couple albums in me, I’d love to take my songs on the road, and we’re coming out with my first music video this year as well. Excited to see what else comes my way, hoping to make transparent music that really helps as many people resonate with it as possible.” – Benjamin Carter for CentralSauce (2020)
When I sit alone finding pieces of peace and enjoying my own mind, it’s songs like these that keep me elevated just above the ground so I don’t fall. Lovely and relaxing but enough content to chew on when I can just sit alone with the lyrics as they are. I can’t wait to have this song on repeat as I drift away in place and enjoy my little space.
From Benjamin Carter
The creation process of this track started with me and artist and producer Tim Atlas joining up in the studio to write something from scratch. We knew we wanted to write a song about the expectations that come with being an artist and discovering ourselves in this industry and this is what we came up with. Appleby had just recently moved to town so I hit him up and asked him to stop by, turns out we had a great spot for him to lay a verse down so he did.” – Benjamin Carter for CentralSauce (2020)
More From Benjamin Carter
You can follow Carter’s journey on Instagram but in the meantime you can check out his debut EP Self_Portrait: Vol. 1.
More to Discover
Subscribe to the CentralSauce mailing list so you never miss out on the freshest sauce. Check out this continuously updated playlist of songs Tyler has added to our Discovery section! Each track or artist has been featured in our “Why We Like It” section, so be sure to check out the page here on the site.
'