This week, Ben Bostick has forever changed the course of his artistry. ‘Become Other’ is an obscure, cathartic and boundary-pushing album, a record that we wouldn’t really expect from the celebrated Atlanta-based Americana creative. Seen flourishing over blues and country territories in the past, Bostick now looks forward, penning a record that’s incredibly expansive, eclectic and meaningful. It all started with a rather concerning reckoning around AI music.
As Ben explains: “I was listening to an AI country song my friend sent me when my wife walked into the room and said, ‘Who is this? I love her voice!’ At that moment, I knew everything was different.” From that point on, Bostick deeply reflected on how to preserve authentic artistry, especially in a world where everything can be run through AI and reproduced at the highest level. Eventually, the American songwriter landed on a solution: “One thing AI can’t do is produce things of real meaning. It can only produce facsimiles of meaning.”
Thus, ‘Become Other’ was born. It is unpredictable, wholesome and quite experimental. Oscillating between haunting cinematic soundscapes, quirky electronica and dystopian vocals, the album redefines Ben’s aural and lyrical boundaries, effectively sparking a bold new era of creative efforts. Speaking about the overarching lyrical ethos, Bostick explains: “It centres on the protagonist’s despairing confinement in a place called The Tangle and his eventual metamorphosis and emergence into a World Without Measure. It is structured in four symphonic movements, each of which depicts a stage in the hero’s journey.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Become Other’ on Spotify: