Ben Hogun is an unsigned quartet from Stockholm, Sweden that traffics in a relatively standard brand of indie rock. This is not a knock – after all, most of the bands that we love are not revolutionary. Only a select few bands really push the boundaries of music forward and, at times, those bands are the most frustrating to hear. Perhaps Ben Hogun will do that one day, but for now, they are simply pumping out some pretty fantastic tunes.
The first thing that struck me about Ben Hogun’s latest single, “In The City”, was the video that they released for it. This is curious given that I have never been a ‘video guy,’ but this one drew me with those close-up guitar shots and truly bizarre body movements by the lead singer. But I am not here to parse music videos, so at some point the music has to speak for itself. And it did.
I found myself drawn in by the relative simplicity of “In The City”, a track that opens with a propulsive bass-line and adds in atmospheric guitars over its run time. Curious for a song about the city, Ben Hogun does not overload the listener with frenetic sounds, instead using negative space for impact. The end result is a track about the city that feels like you are relaxing in the country. It is an interesting juxtaposition and one I hope the band explores more in the future.
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And the video:
