On Carving A New Path

With a successful debut studio album under his belt alongside the quickly rising five-piece The Preatures, guitarist Gideon Bensen has seen his fair share of the road, touring non-stop for the past two years. Now, with some time to regroup, Bensen has finally been able to finish his musical works.

“When you’re making a record you’re working on stuff and you surprise yourself with what else comes along,” Bensen reveals. “Sometimes what comes along doesn’t work with what’s happening already. I had this stuff that I thought I’d hold off doing anything with and I’d do something else with it. I was writing some stuff that had an '80s-esque, '90s vibe and I thought maybe I’d put something out when the time was right and I felt this was the right time to do it.”

“Touring makes me a bit crazy and I did a lot of writing while touring. You’re always in a different place and you don’t know what day it is and after a while it takes its toll on you. [The EP’s about] the same things we all go through, love loss, heartbreak, happiness, triumph."

Joining forces with long-time friends Carlos Adura, producer Tony Buchen and The Preatures’ own Jack Moffitt, Bensen sought to explore his musical parameters and complete a project that was his own.

“For Cold Cold Heart it was me and Tony Buchen channelling ideas. A band is a make up of a lot of things. Had I taken these songs to the band they may not have been what they are.”

Bensen is adamant his debut solo effort will not be his last. “I learned a lot about having to use software and making beats and just an outlook on what I could do with the guitar in The Preatures and what I could offer as a vocalist in the band. This is a lot about hearing stuff on the radio and wanting to give it a try.           

“I will be doing this again. I think The Preatures are about to start making another record and I’ve got some solo tunes I’ve been working out for later down the track, but I think this year is all about being creative and getting back into that flow."

Originally published in X-Press Magazine