Benson Boone Releases PULSE EP
Today, rising pop artist Benson Boone released his new EP, PULSE. Through five multi-layered songs, he showcases his trademark powerhouse vocals and newfound versatility and vulnerability.
The project includes recent singles “Sugar Sweet” — a sassy breakup anthem that arrived alongside a video shot in Hawaii — and “What Was” — the soaring track that balances understated, intimate verses with a bold chorus.
With upbeat pop anthems calibrated for long summer days and raw, restrained ballads, PULSE is the work of an artist in transition. "These songs are definitely more me," Boone says of the project. Not that 2022's Walk Me Home… EP, which produced the hits "GHOST TOWN" and "In The Stars," wasn't authentic. "PULSE just expands and builds on that world," he says. "I'm testing new waters and loving it. This is where I am now."
In addition to previous singles, PULSE includes 3 unheard ones. “Coffee Cake,” “Lovely Darling,” and “Little Runaway.”
“Coffee Cake” kicks off the EP with a bassy synth that quickly transforms into a simple beat for Boone to sing about wanting to meet someone at a coffee place down the street. A subtle low-end piano piece that plays along with the bass and returns in the chorus adds a layer of interest to the song.
In the pre-chorus, the instruments drop out, leaving a filtered version of Boone’s vocals to sing, “If you go, if you go, damn I hope you don't leave alone. If you don't, if you don't, you could stay.”
In typical Boone fashion, he hits hard for the chorus. With a voice that soars out, Boone sings, “And talk with me for days over lousy coffee cake...”
This song is delectable and the only con is that it has me craving coffee cake.
A bass line also starts the next song, “Lovely Darling.” While "Coffee Cake" had Boone wanting to meet someone, here he wants to leave someone. It's clear the relationship isn't working out from the verse. “I hate those days that keep on going and going. We just talk, but we never agree.”
The chorus has Boone wanting to leave as he sings, “You’d be so lovely darling if we parted. I don't want to stay." The happy-sounding instrumental contradicts Boone's message about leaving. It’s an almost dancey tune that has Boone choosing to quit a relationship that isn’t working rather than stick it out to the bitter end.
“Little Runaway the world's never easy,” Boone ends his EP with a piano ballad, “Little Runaway.”
Singing powerfully over piano chords, Little Runaway is someone who’s “gold” but doesn’t know it yet.
The piano remains the only instrument on the track until strings support Boone’s vocals in the chorus. The energy picks up as the instrumental fills out during the second verse. Drums hit in the chorus, providing a cathartic release, relieving the song's tension, and providing the perfect end to the EP.