Ben Kinzer has shown himself to be a thoughtful and compelling songwriter, and his latest single under the Ben Absent moniker only serves as further proof of his artistry. Part pulsing electronica, part menacing sound collage, the track is heavy on brooding atmosphere. It’s stark, icy, and eerie, although Kinzer’s urgent croon and suggestive lyrics keep it from descending into mere mood piece. Amidst the din of distant voices and deep bass stabs are hints of violence and references to bondage that only heighten the sense of anxiety and dread that courses through the song.
According to Kinzer, “Hurt Me” was inspired by the many ways Western culture pressures men to forgo emotional vulnerability and embrace anger and aggression. “We’re taught to use callousness and violence as protection, and as the only way of processing grief, trauma, or fear,” Kinzer explains. “We actively seek out situations to use that cruelty so that we can work through emotion, and as a way of boosting ego, and that cycle becomes a sort of sadomasochistic relationship with how we view and are viewed as men. I wanted to tie in S&M imagery in the lyrics in order to highlight our impulse as men in this culture to dominate and how that domination is ultimately a form of submission to assimilation and the status quo.”
To create the accompanying video, Kinzer turned to friend and collaborator Casey Doran whose surreal lo-fi approach adds a dark, mind-bending dimension to Ben Absent’s provocative soundscape. A compilation of mystifying found footage, bizzare animation, and uncanny archival film, the clip lacks any sort of linear structure. Instead, it serves purely as a symbolic representation of the song’s bleak commentary on Western masculinity, which Kinzer admits was all Doran’s doing.
“I told him about the concept for the song,” he says, “but ultimately I know that anything Casey does is going to be amazing and I wanted him to have full creative control over the video.”
Watch/listen above.
More Info
Bandcamp: benabsent.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Ben-Absent-169916693738212
Instagram: @benabsent
SoundCloud: @user-776243175