Solid Ground (feat. Jessy Lord) - FOR RELEASE 1st July 2022
Artist: Benny Smiles
Single Title: Solid Ground (feat. Jessy Lord)
Video Release Date: Friday 1st July 2022
Audio Release Date: RELEASED Friday 27th May 2022
EP Title: Never Skip Face Day
EP Title: Never Skip Face Day
Label: Self-released
Format: Stream / Digital Download
Contact: Ross Fortune (artist) | bennysmilesmusic@gmail.com | +44 7857 0321 84
Images + Audio Downloads: Downloads
Audio Streaming Link: https://smarturl.it/streamsolidground
Video Streaming Link: https://youtu.be/8L02FjHE6ic
Solid Ground is the second single from the Ireland born, London based producer’s upcoming Never Skip Face Day EP. Benny Smiles has teamed up with fellow Wicklow native Jessy Lord, better known as the voice of electronic group EHCO. The pair wrote the song remotely during lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, with Jessy recording fragments of melodies and lyrics from her home studio in County Wicklow, then sending them to Benny in London for arrangement and production. The resulting track showcases Jessy’s achingly beautiful vocals over Benny’s trademark yearning, nostalgia tinged electronic arrangements. The instrumental version is also included in this release.
The official music video was created by London based Irish director Eamonn Hearns. Eamonn has chosen to tell a revenge story to contrast the beautiful, lyrical elements of Solid Ground against a darker undertone of obsession and violence. The video features actors Sarah Gallagher (who appears in the upcoming movie ‘The Pod Generation’) and Gabriele Lo Giudice (who can most recently be seen as Marcelo in Season 3 of Atlanta).
The first single from the EP, When We Touch, premiered on prominent Irish blog Nialler9 to an immediate warm reception, earning more than 900,000 streams and a placement in Spotify’s Retrowave/Outrun editorial playlist (currently boasting over 850k followers). His 2015 Hotline Miami Theme is featured in the same playlist, and when the track landed a sync in the hit video game Hotline Miami 2, it helped to garner an international following for Benny Smiles and over 5 million streams of his music.
In coming months, Benny Smiles will release 2 more tracks to complete his Never Skip Face Day EP, while Jessy Lord will be releasing a Phoebe Bridgers cover next month alongside Irish artist Nnic, followed by a series of her own original songs.
Benny Smiles has supported artists including London Grammar and Ghostpoet, and performed at festivals including Electric Picnic, Indiependence, Castlepalooza, and Ireland Music Week.
