Ben Cooper, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, is the creative mastermind behind Nettwerk Records' "Radical Face," as well as the Hidden Hollow—a monthly mailer for the inventive and artistically curious. His heartfelt and uplifting music has been featured in numerous film and TV productions and commercials in the last decade, with a delicate, folk-heavy sound that mixes organic instrumentation with atmospheric and minimalist electronic arrangements.
"Under the Same Sun," his latest single, combines a broad and vulnerable lyrical sensibility with tasty elements of folk and pop, as Cooper waxes nostalgic about the gravity of recent events. With a conscious decision to engage in 'positive regression,' we find Cooper doubling down on the analog aspects of his life. By moving from digital recording sessions to magnetic tape, and from rooms full of gear to a well-curated inner circle of favorite microphones, he is getting back to the artistic experimentation that made writing songs fun in the first place. "Under the Same Sun" explores this rewarding space of electro-mechanical quirkiness, with a sound that mixes the philosophical gravitas of Elliott Smith with the roots-pop-funk of Andy Shauf. As Cooper revels in a newfound lack of clutter, we can enjoy the simple combination of acoustic guitar, folk-pop melody, and infectious joie-de-vivre.
I’ve spent the past month really rethinking different parts of my current life. I don’t make new year’s resolutions, but I enjoy taking stock of everything at the end of the year and deciding what to bring forward with me, and what it’s time to let go of. This year I took it further by really disconnecting from the internet and spending a lot more time with my thoughts, my work and my priorities. — Ben Cooper
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