Dave Benton (formerly of New York band LVL Up ) has announced his third album as Trace Mountains, “House Of Confusion”, set for an October 22nd release on Lame-O Records. The lead single “America” is out now alongside a music video.
“‘America’ is a road song written from a place of disillusionment & desperation,” Benton explains in a statement. “My guitarist Jim Hill created this video inspired in equal parts by Easy Rider, Wayne’s World & The Lord of the Rings to mirror the themes of the song in jest.
“Writing & arranging this song was a real journey for us, with lots of rewrites & changes,” he continues. “I almost cut the song from the album at one point because it was torturing me so much! I wanted it to be real but also light hearted & upbeat. I think Jim captured that energy perfectly in his visual interpretation of the song.”
From a near-cut to the lead single is quite a journey indeed, and for “America,” that’s entirely appropriate. Benton describes a long, lonely night drive over breezy acoustic guitar and propulsive drum machine, with soft chimes punctuating the song’s forward momentum. Despite the cheery instrumentation, it feels like Benton isn’t wandering, but lost, overwhelmed while in search of something so elusive, it may not have ever existed. “They always said that you could make a life of it,” he sings ruefully, like someone all too aware of the difference between making a living and making a life. “AMERICA” screeches to a halt outside the “House Of Confusion”, where Benton’s only reward is a different, deeper rabbit hole.
“House Of Confusion” follows last year’s excellent release “Lost In the Country” and 2018’s A Partner to Lean On. Benton is joined on the record by Trace Mountains mainstays Hill (guitar, keys), Greg Rutkin (drums) and Susannah Cutler (vocals, mellotron), as well as new additions Bernard Casserly (bass), J.R. Bohannon (pedal steel, guitar), David Grimaldi (guitar ) and Ryan Jewell (drums, marimba ).
“America” by Trace Mountains from the album ‘House Of Confusion,’ out October 22nd via Lame-O Records.
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