After releasing her debut album Hey u x to widespread acclaim last year, BENEE has made her 2021 return with her most personal single yet…

The new offering, titled ‘Doesn’t Matter,’ sees the Kiwi muso slow it down from the uplifting pop vibes she burst onto the scene with in 2019, opting for gentle guitars and snail-pace drums as she gets deep on mental health and the struggles she’s faced this year.

Lyrically, this is the rawest we’ve ever seen her, lines like ‘Although my fears are real/The things I fear are not’ hitting especially hard with her emotive head and chest voice, the surrounding instrumentation helping to gently spur the tune along.

The accompanying lyric video, comprised of grainy B-roll footage from a photoshoot, enhances the sombre nature of the slow-burn, various close ups of BENEE goofing around on set showing the contrast between dealing with inner demons while putting on a brave face. It’s worlds apart from past clips for tracks like ‘Supalonely’ and ‘Glitter’, but considering the heavy subject matter, you can see why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6r5IUM5LqY

Speaking on her 2021 experience and the struggles that inspired the new offering, BENEE explains “This year has been very difficult for me and many other people, and I’ve had times that I’ve really felt my lowest. I wrote ‘Doesn’t Matter’ during one of these periods when I felt truly overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck. I was diagnosed with OCD, which actually helped me understand myself better.

“This song ponders on what it would be like to feel truly carefree and how much easier life would be.”

Definitely a welcome return with a message we can all empathise with. Check out ‘Doesn’t Matter’ above and be sure to buy/stream it here.