Welcome again to Origins, our recurring sequence that provides artists an area to interrupt down every part that went into their newest launch. Immediately, Ben Kweller takes us by the making of his most up-to-date single, “Optimystic.”
Ben Kweller skilled a dad or mum’s worst nightmare with the sudden loss of life of his 16-year-old son, Dorian Zev, in February 2023. By means of his ardour for songwriting, nevertheless, the Texas musician discovered he nonetheless had a non-physical relationship with Dorian — a discovery that helped carry Kweller by the making of his upcoming album, Cowl the Mirrors.
Now, he’s launched the music video for the primary single “Optimystic,” a bittersweet observe that recollects the start of his journey by grief. Over guitar riffs that Kweller describes as a “proggy model of the Ramones,” he sings, “Happiness, wanna die, loss of life kiss/ Get excessive, keep excessive, shut your eyes.”
“‘Optimystic’ in quite a lot of methods, is me going again to my teenage roots,” Kweller tells Consequence. “It’s a full-circle factor as a result of Dorian was 16 when he handed and he was rather a lot like I used to be at that age — being a teen, sitting on the mattress taking part in your guitar, writing songs in regards to the life you’ve lived thus far. Dorian launched music below the title ZEV and I had a grunge band referred to as Radish.”
He continues, “[It] is an ode to that feeling of being younger and having zero tasks. It’s the sensation of falling in love with rock ‘n’ roll for the primary time and making your personal rock ‘n’ roll creation. One other tip of the hat to my ’90s roots is the breakdown on the finish that slowly builds into this explosive outro that I can’t wait to play reside after I hit the street in April.”
Try the music video for “Optimystic,” which options animation from Thriller Matter, and skim Kweller’s full Origins breakdown beneath.
Cowl the Mirrors is ready for launch on Might thirtieth to coincide with what would’ve been Dorian’s nineteenth birthday. Bodily pre-orders are ongoing at Kweller’s web site.
Kweller will head out on a supporting tour starting on April fifteenth, with dates in Nashville, New York, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, and extra. Tickets will be bought right here.
Optimism vs. Pessimism:
Ben Kweller and his son Dorian, picture by way of Instagram
I’ve all the time been an optimistic individual. Some individuals see the cup half empty, some see it half full, I’ve all the time seen the cup teetering over the sting and spilling onto the desk. As I’ve gotten older, my optimism has been coloured by actuality although. I assume as of late I’m cautiously optimistic as they are saying… However nonetheless, my pure state is to see the brilliant facet.
When my 16-year-old son, Dorian, died out of the blue in 2023, it despatched a shockwave by my complete being. I used to be shocked and robbed of the flexibility to see magnificence and happiness anyplace I seemed. Because the months went on with out him, I noticed that magnificence was nonetheless round me and happiness was one thing I may discover once more. I discovered that Dorian was nonetheless with me, it’s simply our relationship was a special form of relationship now. A non-physical one. After all, I’d choose the bodily, however I’m working with what I’ve right here and now.
My lifelong love of songwriting helped me keep on. I began writing songs with none imaginative and prescient or path. Full flow-state stream of consciousness. I ended up writing an album referred to as Cowl the Mirrors and it’s popping out on what would’ve been Dorian’s nineteenth birthday: Might thirtieth, 2025. “Optimystic” is probably the most aggressive tune on the album but it surely demonstrates the start of my grief journey when all hope and positivity was misplaced.
Staccato vs. Legato:
After I take into consideration the observe sonically, it’s form of like a proggy model of the Ramones. Rush was by no means a favourite band of mine however I’ve an enormous appreciation for what they did for rock music and pushing the style ahead. My recurring guitar riff in “Optimystic” is that this staccato quarter-note factor that seems like one thing Rush would possibly’ve accomplished on their 1974 debut. The majority of the opposite guitar work on “Optimystic” is straight eighth notes all mixing collectively à la Ramones, which simply makes each guitarist really feel like a child once more.
The ’90s:
Talking of being a child once more, “Optimystic” in quite a lot of methods, is me going again to my teenage roots. It’s a full-circle factor as a result of Dorian was 16 when he handed and he was rather a lot like I used to be at that age — being a teen, sitting on the mattress taking part in your guitar, writing songs in regards to the life you’ve lived thus far. Dorian launched music below the title ZEV and I had a grunge band referred to as Radish.
In quite a lot of methods, “Optimystic” is an ode to that feeling of being younger and having zero tasks. It’s the sensation of falling in love with rock ‘n’ roll for the primary time and making your personal rock ‘n’ roll creation. One other tip of the hat to my ’90s roots is the breakdown on the finish that slowly builds into this explosive outro that I can’t wait to play reside after I hit the street in April.
The Paradiddle:
The paradiddle is a basic drum rudiment that newbie drummers usually study. The sample begins on one hand and ends on the identical hand forcing you to start out the subsequent part with the other hand. It goes like this: left-right-left-left / right-left-right-right, and so forth. This snare drum sample was famously used on Buddy Holly’s tune “Peggie Sue.” I all the time thought it might be cool if a rock tune integrated this sample on the entire drumset utilizing the toes as effectively. Whereas writing “Optimystic”, I noticed that this was the tune! One thing in regards to the tempo and groove, lent itself to my paradiddle drumbeat dream so that is what we did: kick-snare-kick-kick / snare-kick-snare-snare, and it just about repeats relentlessly all through the observe.
Lo-fi vs. Hello-fi:
As I sit right here serious about writing “Optimystic” and the way the tune makes me really feel, I can’t assist however discover that the recording course of makes excellent sense and was utterly unplanned. I’m an indie-DIY artist by and thru and for me an important side of a recording is the emotional feeling that I get from it. I don’t care if it’s captured on a Tascam cassette 4-track, Professional Instruments, or an iPhone. If the efficiency strikes me then I’ll use it.
After I wrote “Optimystic,” I put down an excellent tough lo-fi sketch with an electrical guitar and a drum machine. I sang the vocal right into a shitty dynamic mic and moved on. Once we began pre-production for the Cowl The Mirrors album, I discovered the OG demo and liked how uncooked the vocals had been. We determined to make use of the demo because the skeleton to construct the ultimate grasp on. We overdubbed the drums, bass and a pair of recent rhythm guitars. I attempted to re-sing the lead vocal on an costly Neuman microphone and, yeah it had higher constancy, however I simply couldn’t beat the realness of the demo.
As a substitute of changing the lead, I tripled it with the “good mic” which softened the sharp edges of the unique with out dropping the power. The whistle half within the breakdown is all from the demo and the guitar solo is as effectively. It’s a real collage of lo-fi and hi-fi which may be very me I assume. I’m a Gemini which they are saying is “the twins.” Dorian was a Gemini too. Us Geminis like it all. Salty-sweet, happy-sad. Even the Ben Kweller iconography is the Cranium and Strawberry. I simply have so many pursuits and issues that I like.
Now with Dorian bodily gone, I’m open to something. Non secular and tangible. I simply have to go searching and discover magnificence in all of the issues… Naturally this brings us proper again to the start to that optimistic persona of mine. If I didn’t transfer ahead like this, I’d be perpetually depressing and doubtless reside out the lyrics on this tune that are fairly grim.