Matt Benson’s musical story began in the ashes of a Belfast music store explosion, an unlikely spark that lit the fuse for a life dedicated to sound. A salvaged trombone pulled from the wreckage marked the start of a journey that would twist through jazz, ska, electro-swing and soul, taking him from dive bar stages to Glastonbury’s grandest. It’s the kind of tale that feels part fever dream, part rock-and-roll folklore, only Matt Benson lived it and now he’s telling it in his own words.
Having made a name behind the scenes with acts like Sam and The Womp, Bad Manners, The Pogues, and most notably as a touring mainstay in George Ezra’s band, Matt soaked in the spectrum of musical life from sticky-floored clubs to luxury tour buses. That hard-earned stability gave him something rare in the modern music world; time to sit with his own stories and the result is his upcoming debut album Sit Back Down Again, a record wrapped in soul, shadows and the warm brass of New Orleans flair.
Crafted in collaboration with producer Cian Boylan at Camden Studios in Dublin and finished with the touch of Grammy-winner Ruadhri Cushnan, Sit Back Down Again is Matt’s personal opus, an album of twelve tracks that mine themes of grief, growth and romantic ruin. From tales of rooftop whiskey epiphanies to snapshots of broken romance, the LP is set to deliver his fusion of vintage R&B, cinematic storytelling and dusky soul, all delivered with a voice both weathered and warm.
The latest single released ahead of the album is the brand new “Broken Masterpiece,” a song which shows another side of Matt Benson’s artistic vision. While his previous releases leaned into lyrical intimacy and smooth, soulful textures, this track pulls at darker, more theatrical threads. Drawing loose comparisons to Nick Cave’s Henry’s Dream, it lurches with a spectral energy, progressing like a noir hallucination which Matt reimagines, leaning into a fantastical “creature feature” vibe that gives the track its eerie magnetism.
The live performance video filmed at Camden Studios in Dublin brings this intensity into full focus with Matt leading from the Rhodes and the band, featuring Boylan, Conor Brady, Dave Redmond and Darren Beckett, serving up a performance that flexes between menace and melancholy, a taste of the emotional muscle he’s sure to bring to future live shows.
With Sit Back Down Again set to drop on the 11th of July, Matt Benson is preparing for a live tour across Ireland with a series of headline shows from Belfast to Limerick. On the new single, Matt says, “Broken Masterpiece is a groovier, darker, more angry song. The idea is about a supernatural monster: like a fallen angel that was perfect but has become broken. I imagine myself as a little boy climbing up a tree as it’s just getting dark. As I turn to climb back down I notice this creature waiting with dead eyes, and it beckons me with the promise of a reward if I come down. Some people say it’s about the darker parts of your subconscious, but to me it’s a fun song about a monster.”