There’s a certain kind of indie-rock that pulls you under, drags you through its fog, and leaves you somewhere between memory and myth. Benton Crane’s latest offering ‘Forgotten Souls’ is exactly that kind of track, acting like a haunted Santana.
This spellbinding single marks another evolution in Crane’s ever-expanding sound, bringing together spectral storytelling and psych-tinged grooves with a cinematic edge. The Boulder-based songwriter has never been one to colour inside the lines, but here he paints with particularly eerie hues, unspooling a tale where the past refuses to stay buried.
Backed by a pulsing low end and layers of reverb-soaked guitar (with Andrew Krist lending a searing lead presence), ‘Forgotten Souls’ unfolds like a séance set to rhythm. “The souls that you forgot are coming home,” Crane sings, yet doesn’t feel like a warning, it feels like a prophecy.
What makes this release hit harder than most is its restraint. Rather than explode into catharsis, ‘Forgotten Souls’ simmers with tension. It’s the kind of track that feels perpetually on the edge, haunted by what’s left unsaid.
Following the sweeping atmosphere of ‘Winter’s Mistress’ and the collaborative intensity of ‘Cast Me Out’, this new single lands with both weight and precision. It’s a distilled, shadowy anthem that feels just as much at home in headphones at midnight as it does echoing off the walls of a dive bar at last call.
If you’re looking for indie-rock that trades nostalgia for nuance, and dares to dwell in the dark, Benton Crane’s ‘Forgotten Souls’ might be the most unsettlingly beautiful thing you hear this year.
