UK duo Benefits (Kingsley Hall, Robbie Major) released their debut album, NAILS, in 2023; it was a torrent of shouty anger and noise that got praised by the late Steve Albini and Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner. The band have now announced their second album, Constant Noise, which will be out March 21 via Invada (the label run by Geoff Barrow of Beak> and Portishead).
Those expecting more aggressive noise-punk, especially given the album’s title, will be in for a surprise with the sleek, danceable electronic sounds on this one that are closer to The Streets or Underworld than The Jesus Lizard or Gilla Band. “We’re still angry and Constant Noise is an angry album,” says Hall, “just angry in a different way to before. There’s plenty of bands around who are more overt and obvious in their rage – just as we were on our debut – and that’s fine, we just wanted to develop something beyond that. We wanted to create something almost joyous in its disgust at the world. If the previous record was black and white, we wanted this to be technicolour.”
Benefits gave us an early taste of the album with “Land Of The Tyrants” (featuring Zera Tønin) in September, and now they’ve released new single “Relentless” featuring Libertines frontman Pete Doherty. “The song is about craving for a past you had that exists perhaps solely in your memory,” says Hall. “Yearning your lost youth, when things seemed easier. Getting Peter Doherty involved was important not just because he’s a legendary performer but also because he was a hero to both of us when we were getting into music, linking in with the theme of the song. Peter and the Libertines were integral to our musical education and love of music, like it or not, he’s a hugely important factor as to why we do what we do. He’s part of our past and we’re honoured and humbled that he agreed to participate in our future.”
Watch the videos for “Relentless” and “Land of the Tyrants” below.
Constant Noise also features contributions from Neil Cooper of Therapy? and rapper Shakk. Full details on the album are still TBA.
Benefits have also announced a 2025 UK tour and those dates are below.
