This Friday, Benjamin Booker drops his first album in seven years: LOWER. The New Orleans based songwriter has teamed up with producer Kenny Segal (Armand Hammer, Elucid) to deliver an eleven track project that is dynamic, intriguing, and incredibly its own. Booker has a way of writing about both brimming life and violent death, all while staying anchored to his tender musical demeanor. If you like to hear juxtaposing sonic qualities unite in a gratifying fashion, LOWER is sure to scratch that itch.

The opening track, BLACK OPPS, is a haunting and unsettling piece packed with grating production choices that demand attention, and backdrop the heavy lyricism confronting racial violence. The proceeding track, LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK takes a more hopeful route sonically, highlighting the array of distinct production choices on this album that constantly keep the listener guessing. Tangled and repeated overtop of rich digital textures are the lyrics “I want to live a good life” and “no one will ever love me,” driving home Booker’s longing as a central theme of the album.

Four tracks into the record, Booker gives the listeners an exhale of sorts. SLOW DANCE IN A GAY BAR features the singer’s soft, layered vocals and loungey production as he pleads for a perceptive love; “I just want someone to see me.” The lyricism is paired with a vintage sounding, almost carnival-esque guitar melody. Lyrically and sonically, Booker captures both being in the thick of isolation, and seeing the light on the other side of it. “I am beginning to see the beauty all around me/What this life can be,” he arrives at eventually.

Through Booker’s simultaneously classic yet distinct voice, he delivers a visceral culmination of songs which evoke visions of the songwriter walking through a smoky, ghost town like setting. Fuzzy guitars and groovy drums welcome us into the larger-than-life track, SAME KIND OF LONELY. His sparse, and somewhat vague lyricism leaves us wondering just what kind of loneliness he is referring to— but maybe that’s not important. What’s most jarring about this track are the audio clips blended alongside Booker’s vocals when the percussion halts; a segment of screams and gunshots immediately followed by the laughter of an infant. This eerie blend of chaos and innocence alludes to Booker’s concepts for the tracks being fleshed out far beyond just the lyrics.

A good portion of the available Benjamin Booker media is nearly a decade old, where he presents humble, impassioned, and mild-mannered. This endearing character shines through on the quieter, more vulnerable moments on the new record; like in HEAVY ON MY MIND where we hear Booker repeat the final line of the track through audible tears. Comment sections for the press release of LOWER are filled with fans overjoyed at the final return of Booker and the all-encompassing aesthetic of his imagination. This return is sure to make a mark on his adorning listeners.

This record is not easy to settle into— but I think that’s the point. It challenges expectations of sound and presentation, and like so many great works, rewards multiple listens. Booker seems to hold a mild disdain for genre/stylistic purists, and this record is a total testament to that.

Pre-order Lower by Benjamin Booker HERE