Ben Chavasse – Boxing (13th Floor Album Review)
Tamaki-Makarau-based indie-folk artist Ben Chavasse is no stranger to honing his craft. Having won Smokefree Rockquest at age 16, he’s been slowly refining it ever since – and now, he’s stepped triumphantly into the open with his debut album, Boxing, an impressive 10-track compilation. The album is produced by Ben and Michael Luke Howell, who has also worked with artists like The Beths.
The album opens with Letdown, which was also Ben’s debut single, released in June. The song was originally written in 2019, heavily leaning on the relationships of students to mentors and teachers. It’s a great opener for Boxing, immediately making Ben stand out as a master of narrative storytelling. Chugga is slightly more electronic, with more of an emphasis on guitar. With themes of absence and abandonment, the vocals convey a sense of moving yet hopeful emotion.
Dry is one of the album’s highlights. It feels heavier than some of Boxing’s other tracks in terms of its guitar incorporation, and has a sense of apprehension, especially in the lyrics ‘I won’t go out on the street tonight.’ The style here personally reminded me of songs from the film Sing Street, which is admittedly a personal favourite.
The first few seconds of Surrender are quiet, before making an unexpected pivot into heavy drum-style beats. With an upbeat rhythm, it’s the type of track you could easily dance to in your bedroom or at an event with your friends. Surrender also showcases Ben’s vocal prowess well – as the album progresses, his range becomes clearer and more impressive, hitting notes in an effortless manner.
Pip Dog marks the album’s centre, and was the second single from the album. Featuring lyrics like ‘I went to seagulls at the scrap / they knew me then and they lunged at it’ and ‘please don’t lock me out / I’m only a kid comprehending myself’, Ben embraces here something that feels like a universal struggle – attempting to find yourself, and reconciling with the fact that sometimes you feel like an outsider. Clouds is full of soft guitar and contemplative energy, with some stunning backing vocals. Ben’s narrative talent shines, waxing lyrical with lines like ‘I had to find a way over party lines’ and ‘I know it’s so hard to be on all the time / give myself one more chance to reconsider.’ It’s another example of his work exploring relatable themes, as seen in Pip Dog. It feels like a call for companionship and understanding in a difficult season, with the lingering promise of better moments coming.
She’s Gonna Leave also features twangs of guitar, with a haunting background. It’s easy to get the sense of shifting away, with both the vocals and instrumentals almost seeming nostalgic for the present moment. In the transition to Stakes, things shift. It’s heavier on the drums and leans more into a deliberate and adolescent lens with its lyrics discussing topics like ‘being 18’ and the anticipation of meeting people for the first time. It’s one of the longer tracks on the album, making it easy to become engulfed by it. On an album that’s full of strong points, Stakes might be the highest of them all.
Echoes Behind and Better are the closing tracks of Boxing, and it’s worth saying that Echoes Behind tugs on the heartstrings from the moment the opening verse begins. The song includes lyrics like ‘making you feel like a child / the blame you reconcile,’ and re-leans into that nostalgic feeling that Ben does such a good job of capturing. Better is slightly more twangy and has more of a jazz influence than some of the past tracks.
Across the entirety of Boxing, the core is Ben’s lyric-forward approach, clear narrative talent and an ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve while blending genres seamlessly. It’s an incredibly strong debut album from an artist who has been refining his art for an extended period, and now that Ben Chavasse is in the mainstream, audiences will no doubt be excitedly waiting for his next move.
Chantal Dalebroux
Boxing is released Thursday, September 25th
Tickets for Ben’s release show for Boxing with Benjamin Mack on September 27 are available now: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/gig/98341/Ben-Chavasse-Boxing-Album-Release-Show-With-Benjamin-Mack.utr
