For those who are a fan of Ben Lazarus, you may find yourself surprised after listening to his new single ‘Methadone’.
This track strays from the path of the typical chirpy identity of Ben’s previous work. Thrashing guitar and snare-heavy percussion creates a sound that you’d have to describe as grunge. Not only is this in the instrumentation though, as the ‘against the world’ attitude that drives the vocals make it pretty clear that Lazarus isn’t happy about something.
Explaining this approach, Ben said the song was ‘written in a fit of rage in around half an hour’ after he ‘found his girlfriend had hung out with a man who had slashed his tires a few days prior’.
Whilst I’m sure Ben would prefer to have not had to write ‘Methadone’, he’s channelled his emotion and energy into a musical test, turning it into a song that he never would’ve written otherwise.
The rushed songwriting process sits pretty obviously in the blunt nature of the lyrics. They are direct, personal, and, to a certain extent, they are uncomfortable.
You almost don’t want to feel like you are getting involved in whatever feud Lazarus is situated in. But simultaneously you feel for Ben, and hope that releasing this song at least somewhat aids his troubles.
Whatever you make of it, ‘Methadone’ is undoubtedly (and unapologetically) raw. It’s interesting to see Lazarus push himself musically and show off what else he might be able to do. Whether he continues to pursue this new direction or decides to return to his joyful ways, is something that we’ll have to wait to find out.
For now, you can listen to ‘Methadone’ down below and let us know what you think!