Don’t worry, we checked: Ben ‘Benny’ Reed of Skegss still gets dick tingles every now and then.

For a few years now, I’ve been marinating on the idea that Benny from Skegss has one of the best voices in the country (evidence here), but has never really gotten the credit for it. It’s a theme of being underestimated that’s followed the band for a while. Once the go-to artist for a surf film on a budget, the guys have consistently punched above their weight, with three consecutive Top 5 albums, millions of streams and fans all over the globe.

One week they’re in Mexico recording mariachi versions of their own songs, just for the hell of it. The next, they’re playing to 20,000 people on the Gold Coast. Then it’s back to the quiet life, picking up casual day jobs between tours as if none of it ever happened. Such is the duality of Skegss.

They’re performing at Felons Barrel Room at Manly Wharf as part of Surf & Sound Festival on October 24 (tickets here), and you’ll be wanting to be there. But in the meantime, check out our interview with Benny below:

You’ve just come back from the States. Any particular highlights from the trip?

I just went on a song quest, solo, because I’d had a bit of a dry spell. I finally got my mojo back and made a good song, then sent it to a few of the crew I’ve met over there who I’ve recorded with before, just for a bit of advice.

I’ve built a bit of a rapport with Dave Catching from Rancho de la Luna, the studio in Joshua Tree. We’ve recorded there a fair bit, and he’s become a good mate of mine. He invited me over for a week, so I went and hung out with him and made heaps of songs. We made about nine new songs in that week.

Then I went to Laurel Canyon in Hollywood. Dave Sardy invited me to come up and try writing some songs. He’s got a sick studio at his place, so I stayed there for nearly a week and we made a few new songs too. It was pretty mental. I was pretty pumped because I’d basically made enough for an album.

You mentioned being in a bit of a songwriting dry spell. What’s that like for you?

As time goes on, I still keep trying, but sometimes it feels a bit mediocre and you’re not making something that fully gives you that magic feeling. It’s so weird because when you unlock it, you feel like you’ve unlocked a new level, and then you’ve got to ride the wind of it.

I don’t worry about it too much. I can be like, ‘Oh, this sucks. It feels impossible to make one I’m really pumped on.’ But I’ve always tried to keep doing it because I build up what I call ammunition. I’ll still finish a song, and then I’ve got it there. I’ve got the lyrics to use if I need to. You’re looking for a cool chord progression with cool hooks and stuff. Once you find it, you’ve got all this stuff you’ve been doing and saying to go back to.

I try to stay positive with it and treat it as ammunition for when I do catch a good wind.

You mentioned writing a heap of new songs in the States. When do you reckon we’ll get to hear some of them?

Hopefully in the next few months, maybe the start of next year. It was a pretty spontaneous little song quest that just amazingly worked out. The dates worked out crazy, and I just leaned into it and got heaps out of it. It feels like we can get the ball rolling pretty quickly.

You’ve got the Skegss Mariachis release coming out on Friday. Where did the idea come from, and what was the recording process like?

Maybe 10 or 11 years ago, my brother-in-law was always like, ‘Ben, you’ve got to come watch Mariachi El Bronx play. You’re going to love it.’ I’d listened to the music and didn’t know if I liked it heaps, but I’ve always loved Cuban music and Latin music. I like listening to it when I’m cooking because I’m not analysing it too hard. They’re singing in Spanish and shit.

So I went to Sydney to watch them with him and my sister one time, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. The band was just so atmospheric. Sometimes you’ve got to see something live to understand the essence of it. It got me so pumped because it was their alter ego band. I thought that was so cool, being able to have another version of your own music.

I’d made heaps of my own Latin-style songs before, and then while I was in that dry spell, I was like, ‘What could we do to fill a bit of time with new music?’ So I hit the label up and said, ‘Do you reckon we could go to Mexico?’ Heaps of kids had always asked us to go there to do a show.

I reckoned we could go there and try to make an EP with some of the songs people had been asking us to play that we hadn’t really given much light of day.

We picked a few of those songs. ‘LSD’ and ‘Margarita’ were givens, and ‘Stranger’ is one people always ask for. We didn’t record it that well originally, but people still ask us to play it at shows. The label organised it and got this guy Adrian to produce it. Then this band rocked up, and they couldn’t speak English, but they were just hell professional. They had all the music written.

We recorded all the tunes live because we’d been playing them for ages, so it didn’t take too long. Then they came in and laid their music down. It was just beautiful hearing real professional musicians adding that authentic mariachi sound to it.

Even if it doesn’t go that well or anything, it’s a beautiful memory for us to have been able to do something special and share music like that.

Do you ever reflect on how far you’ve come as a band, especially now that you’ve got the freedom to experiment with something like this?

Yeah, it made me feel really grateful. The label was pumped on it and made it happen for us. The fact that we can go and do something like that is pretty special. Part of the whole reason you wanted to do this in the first place was to travel to new places.

It’s always such an experience going to countries where it’s hard to navigate the logistics. You don’t know anyone that well, you don’t know how their culture works with gigs, where to play or what sort of crowd you’re going to get. Then you get there, and people are saying, ‘No bands ever come over here because it’s so hard to figure out.’

The gratitude they have is a beautiful thing to experience. You just get so stoked. You’re like, ‘This is so cool. We can go and do something like this. I’m so happy I didn’t quit the band or something.’

We did a post about your Gold Coast WSL show, which I think Gergis said was your biggest crowd ever. I remember chatting to you guys at Splendour years ago, and one of you said getting on stage gave you ‘real dick tingles’. Do those tingles still come back at shows like that, or are you immune to them now?

No, that was definitely a tingle. Everyone expected maybe a few thousand people to come, and that’s what they’d told the police and stuff. It had been raining for two weeks, and then on that day, the sun came out. Seth had just won a heat, Kelly was surfing out the back, and there were possibly nearly 20,000 people there.

There were families everywhere, and everyone was just stoked the sun was out. I’m an emotional person, and at times you’re just navigating stuff. It’s funny because it’s the same with every job. People get a bit tripped out in their lives, and then something happens and you’re like, ‘I’m so happy we’re still doing this.’

It’s this amazing little dividend. You feel like you’re in the right spot at the right time. The week before, we’d played a free show at The Steyne in Manly, and it was the same thing. George Pittar had won, and he’s from Manly, so everything was electric.

Then a week later, we had that Gold Coast show. I’m just so stoked we’re a band in this country.

You’ve built a big following in the States. Ever considered moving there?

Nah. I love travelling heaps, and I’ve made heaps of friends over there. Sometimes I could see myself staying there for a little bit. But I love going to the beach three times a day, getting in clear water, taking my dog and doing all that stuff. I like the balance Australia gives you and how much vitamin D we get without even thinking about it. The sanity Australia gives me is the balance that allows me to keep doing this.

I was listening to an interview with Parcels recently, and they were saying they keep things pretty wholesome on tour, then get loose once it’s over. Do you guys have a similar philosophy, or is Skegss still a bit of a rolling circus?

I think it’s a rolling circus. If you know you’ve got a really big show coming up, you try to semi-keep it sane for that sort of thing. Then when there are smaller shows, it’s not as overwhelming, and you can get involved, have beers with everyone and do whatever. When we go to America, the shows range from nearly 2,000 people to sometimes 200 people when we’re hitting a new spot like New Orleans.

Those ones, I find it super easy to hang out, have beers and socialise. You kind of pick and choose your opportunities. I think Parcels are such good musicians that they really want to perform their art precisely how they want it. They’ve definitely got to be pretty sharp to achieve that level.

So would you say ‘Save It for the Weekend’ is something you guys sing about, but not necessarily a philosophy you live by?

Yeah. I’m always trying to give myself advice that I can’t take. It’s like my alter ego that I want to be. I’m trying to determine when you’re listening to your soul or your mind. I think I can sing from my soul, but I live from my mind.

You’ve got Surf & Sound coming up, and Skegss have been connected to surf culture since the beginning. Do you still feel as connected to that community as you did when the band first started?

When we were starting, Noa was semi in the band, Toby was a surf filmer, and everyone was surfers and connected with Stab and all that stuff. What’s sick about it is when we get to play places like Bali, or after a surf comp, or Quiksilver in France. You’re so stoked there’s that affiliation because of where it takes you and the crowd that’s been there since the start.

But I also really enjoy the fact that we’ve stuck to it and seen it grow beyond that.

We’ve been hitting more places in Spain and America where you’re inland. You’ve got this whole crowd that doesn’t surf, and there’s an enjoyment in seeing it grow. You’re like, ‘We’re getting inland.’

What are you most looking forward to about Surf & Sound?

That last show at Manly put a pretty good taste in our mouth. We haven’t played for a few months, since August. The last one was in Bali. We’re feeling pretty recharged at the moment, so it’s going to be sick to play a show.