The stats that precede Ben Khan are monumentally huge. In the space of just a few months he’s racked up over 1.2 million Soundcloud plays, a Best New Music award from Pitchfork, support from every radio DJ worth name-checking and, if you’ll let us toot our own horn, the inaugural slot in our Noisey Debuts series.
Until tonight it’s been hush-hush, the three-tracks that he’s released trickling out one-by-one and slowly plastering their way across the internet. On May 5, they’ll be followed up with Ben’s first official release, his debut EP 1992, put out on his own Blessed Vice imprint. Alongside remastered versions of “Drive (Part 1)”, “Eden” and “Savage” is new track “Youth”, debuted on Zane Lowe this evening and premiering in full above.
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Slotting nicely alongside his previous releases, “Youth” adds another shade to Ben’s refreshingly natural sound, it’s poppier and sun-flecked, like a ray shining through the mist of a serene water-garden. When we met, Ben told me that he wants to reach passive listeners, those that don’t actively spend hours on Soundcloud searching for the next big-thing. He hopes to open up their idea of what pop music can be and, from repeated listens, “Youth” should be that key to discovery.
