Premiere: Ben Again's “Son Of The Earth” Challenges Christian Upbringing

Arts

Dec 11

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When Ben Wallis’s initial queerness began to sprout in childhood, he found his identity complicated by a heavy steep in alternative Christianity that operated under a colorful guise of peace-and-love. “I was raised in what was billed as a cool hippie Evangelical church, the kind where you can wear jeans and play loud music. I grew up watching insane TV shows that felt like bizarro versions of normal kids’ programming but all deeply Jesus focused,” recalls the multifaceted artist. “I thought I was going to Hell for being attracted to boys since I was in 2nd grade. Being bisexual, it was easy to hide for a long time. However, part of me losing my faith was learning to accept and celebrate my LGBT identity.”

The retro wonderment of Ben Again’s first EP is a musical means of processing this upbringing, borrowing from the “nostalgic synth-tones from all the weird Christian videos I grew up on to express my personal spiritual journey from pastor’s kid into the queer witch I am today”. Loaded with transformational healing from an indoctrination cloaked in fear and shame, the title track “Son of the Earth” stands strongly as a pagan worship song of sorts. “It's a rejection of the idea that the world is fallen and damned, instead embracing the true beauty of the Earth and calling for us to give our admiration, devotion, and worship to our Mother Earth,” Ben muses. “I connected with this Earth and found focus in Wiccan practices, which point to honoring the seasons and the inherent power in nature. The term ‘son’ is meant to be genderless, playing off the Biblical use of ‘son of man, son of god’, etc. When I say ‘son of the Earth’, I mean that WE are all the rightful heirs of the power of Earth.”

Hailing from Jacksonville FL, Ben’s time in ATL for the last 6 years has been engaging to say the least, including coming out of the closet 2 years ago while funneling energy into many passionate pursuits. “Accepting and celebrating this as part of my identity has played a huge part in my creative development, which has led me back to music,” Ben says, noting his work in advertising, illustration, and comedy. “I found emotional release and expression in writing songs after this hard year. Who hasn’t been struggling?” With a very clear vibe that he wanted to go for from day one, Ben was able to partner with several friends to help bring ‘Ben Again’ to life. Brok Mende with Friends of Friends recorded and produced the EP with mastering by Jonathan Berlin.

The moniker serves as a reintroduction, “a response to the fact that this project is yet another creative reincarnation amongst many other endeavours”, and like his presence and familiarity in the art community as Beardy Glasses, the endearing tunes of Ben Again is another extension of the artist’s je ne sais quoi. The EP’s jangly guitars and airy keys are lifted with funky undertones, appealing immediately to dream-pop enthusiasts yet tempered with quirks indicative of Ben’s signature style. The debut holds a seasoned intuition for melody and movement; despite learning drums, guitar and piano from the very young age of 7, this is Ben’s first journey as a solo project. He sings, drums, synths, rhythm guitars and percusses as a somewhat one-person band, while friends Jordan White lended lead guitar work and Gabbie Watts provided background vocals. “Everything else is just me, so I feel pretty proud/vulnerable about the whole project,” Ben says. “I set out to create Ben Again as a persona performing emotional songs in a playful way but always straight-faced.”

Underneath the nods to the gospel, one truly gets a sense that the lyrics throughout are much more than a philosophical reframing of traditional Christian theology. Ben Again’s values and perspective are restated with heartful guidance, almost as if it were a re-parenting with more open and accepting conceptuals of spirituality. Ben cradles the once small impressionable creative child self and allows him to be free through his songs all while introducing laughter and some serious danceability to a very vital conversation of acceptance and love.

Ben Again will be performing his debut EP in full for the very first time on Instagram live Saturday 12/12 at 9PM EST. The EP will be available on most major platforms, including Spotify.

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Sunni Johnson is the Arts Editor of WUSSY and a writer, zinester, and musician based in Atlanta, GA.

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