Mid-March puts us in mind for springtime, SXSW, and all things Austin. The Texas capital has also been the adopted home of Louisiana native Ben Millburn who began churning out melodic, multi-guitar tunes on last year’s EP “Strange Love & Consequence” and now issues the new single “Hold Up,” which we’re happy to be debuting.
Millburn likes to label the approach a kind of hybrid garage Southern rock, but its multiple treated guitars and overlaid harmonies speak to the kind of studio bliss brought on Matthew Sweet’s classic Girlfriend. The reverberations in the tune may go back further than that.
It was recorded at Building Studios in Baton Rouge on a board previously used by the father of one of his bandmates when it was at Miami’s classic Criteria Studios during the 1970s, a time when bands like Derek & the Dominos and Fleetwood Mac took advantage of the sunshine and good vibes to drop in and record.
“Hold Up” was written the same day as “Don’t You Wait,” his single off of “Strange Love & Consequence,” and were both new experiences for him.
“It was an interesting day in that I had not really ever written a song before and I ended up writing two of the songs that I like the most out of all of mine,” Millburn says. “I finished ‘Don’t You Wait’ and then immediately started playing what became ‘Hold Up.’ To me the songs have always gone together. ‘Don’t You Wait’ is about seeing something and ‘Hold Up’ is starting to get it.”
Sounds like Millburn is starting to get it as well.
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PHOTO: EMILY HURN
