New York’s Dave Benton (formerly of LVL UP) has announced his third album as Trace Mountains, HOUSE OF CONFUSION, set for an Oct. 22 release on Lame-O Records. 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 lighthearted & 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 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 on tracks 4 and 5) and Ryan Jewell (drums, marimba on track 4).
Watch the “AMERICA” video and revisit Benton’s 2018 Paste Studio session below. You’ll find the details of HOUSE OF CONFUSION further down.
HOUSE OF CONFUSION Tracklist:
01. SEEN IT COMING
02. IF YOU DO
03. ON MY KNEES
04. 7 ANGELS
05. IDK
06. THE MOON
07. LATE
08. AMERICA
09. MORNINGSTAR
10. EYES ON THE ROAD
11. HEART OF GOLD
HOUSE OF CONFUSION Album Art:
