ALEX BENT + THE EMPTINESS : SINGLE & DEBUT ALBUM

Photo by Diego Juarez

Alex bent is a self-produced instrumentalist/singer from Sakatoon, Canada. I first heard part of his latest track ‘Hold on To Me Forever’ on Instagram and instantly logged in to Soundcloud to hear the rest. Drawing on personal feelings, ‘Hold On To Me Forever’ is an open and honest plea, written at a time Alex was reclusive in fear of being hurt.

‘Hold On To Me Forever’ was released ahead of Alex’s debut album ‘Dead, In the Water’ which was released on his Soundcloud this week.

'Dead, In The Water' is glistening with same impeccable production you hear on 'Hold On To Me Forever'. A killer combination of stunning vocals and striking lyrics fit with the music seamlessly. Alex told me that his music is influenced by the ambiance of dreams; this is most evident when you listen to the album as a whole. Each track is like a new chapter of the night, changing as his mind processes the thoughts of loneliness and anxiety, that the album was born out of.

As stated above, this truly is an album to listen to from start to finish, but if I had to pick some favorites I would go with the aforementioned 'Hold On To Me Forever'. Its the obvious single to grab your attention and draw you to the album. I also love 'Interlude... For The Mood', it's like nothing I have heard for a long time and conceptualizes the album in its self. Split into clear sections you can feel the inner torment and need to express these different feelings through music. I hope this album will one day be as big as it feels.

I spoke to Alex earlier to find out more about the man behind this stunning music.

How did Alex Bent + The Emptiness start and who is involved?

I played in several bands throughout my teenage years up until around 3 years ago, since then I’ve been figuring out how to make music on my own, I feel a lot more comfortable doing things solo. My music is self-produced, but I work with engineer Matthew Facca who helps me record the vocals and add the finishing touches. I also occasionally work with a great singer songwriter Oliver Friesen, he provided backing vocals and additional song writing on two of the upcoming album tracks.

What & who influences your music?

I feel like dreams influence my music more than anything, I try to make fairly ambient sounding music to reflect that.

How does the music writing process work for you?

I write most of my music at home where I have a basic basement studio. Ill start most of the instrumentals there and then go to Matts studio and record the vocals and make general improvements.

What inspired you to write ‘Hold On To Me Forever’ and what does the track mean to you?

I was inspired by the idea of being stranded on a desert Island with the person you love the most. As I started working on it more, I dropped the whole desert island theme and it took on a bit of a different direction. My friend Oliver and I collaborated on some of the lyrics once I had the basic song demo ready. To me its probably the most accurate way I could describe what being in love feels like for me.

Are you signed and working with any record labels yet? Where can people hear and buy your music?

I'm unsigned and completely self funded, it can be difficult sometimes but I like the freedom that comes with it. I have some select songs on iTunes and other retailers/streaming services, but you can listen to and download most of my music for free through Soundcloud.

You can listen to 'Dead, In The Water' below and download the tracks HERE
Congratulations Alex, a truly great album.