Charlotte Rose Benjamin - “Party City”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…The Regrettes, Alex Lahey, Jenny Lewis

Part sweet alt-country, part power pop, and part bedroom rock, Charlotte Rose Benjamin’s 2020 debut EP Party City is a vulnerable collection of tracks that are subtly catchy for how personal these songs feel. Benjamin does a nice job balancing density and levity on Party City, a record that is moody at times and softly breezy otherwise, often blending melancholy and hooks with complimentary taste. There are some elements of classic pop that inform the lush title track and opener “Cursed”, but those influences are like reflections rather than pure nostalgia - check a song like DIY, loose psychedelic pop track “Autopilot” for an example of Benjamin taking this sound one notch deeper and revealing more heart and realism in the process. (Kevin McStravick)