New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Benjamin Jaffe will release his solo debut album Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love on May 11th via Diamond Family Records. Best known as one-half of the acclaimed Americana duo HONEYHONEY, Jaffe steps center stage and reveals his ingenuity as a guitar virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, writer, composer, and arranger. Today, Jaffe released his new single "Lazy Music," debuted this morning by Under The Radar who described a "mellow, Andrew Bird vibe." Stream "Lazy Music" below:
Trading the rootsy stomp of HONEYHONEY's three albums for a unique indie-alternative sound, Jaffe widens his approach with Oh, Wild Ocean of Love. There are sweeping indie-folk tunes like "Susan the Cat," R&B ballads like "Everlasting Peace" where Jaffe layers his voice into gorgeous stacks of multi-part harmony, and dissonant rockers like "Blooming" where he shines a light on his skills as an inventive electric guitarist. Inspired by a wide range of sounds and texts - including Paul Simon, Beck, Randy Newman, and The Essential Chuang Tzu - Oh, Wild Ocean of Love explores the wreckage left by a relationship that's poorly-defined and headed south. It's an album about the full spectrum of love: love for yourself, for others, and even your maker. Throughout the tracklist, Jaffe plays nearly every instrument himself, bouncing between drums, keyboard, bass, and guitar.
Rolling Stone recently picked "Everlasting Peace" for their 10 Best Songs of the Week and stated "Oh, Wild Ocean of Love pitches its tent in the middle ground between the church, the jazz club, Father John Misty and your favorite D'Angelo Record." Consequence of Sound raved "On his upcoming debut full-length, Oh Wild Ocean of Love, Jaffe broadens his sonic palette to include influences from the polyphonic rhythms and improvisational freedom of jazz music to the soul swagger of Motown." Billboard also called it "far afield from HoneyHoney's brand of Americana - textural and moody, with fuller (but not overwhelming) instrumentation and lusher aural brushstrokes."
Each song released will be accompanied by a new episode of "The Rearranger Series" in which Jaffe films/records the song in a completely different way than the album version. Follow the series by subscribing to his YouTube page HERE.
In addition to his solo debut, Jaffe continues to broaden his career beyond the confines of the recording studio and the stage. He composed, recorded, and produced the film score for Joy Joy Nails, a short film that screened at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, building on a resume in TV and film that includes work on the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants and various other shows and films. He also appears in the new TBS series The Guest Book, alongside HONEYHONEY bandmate Suzanne Santo, in which the two play recurring characters in each episode. They also wrote the series' theme song and several other songs for the soundcheck.
