Benefits – Land of the Tyrants Review

“I fucking love Benefits,” Steve Albini once said. How right he was. His wisdom lives on. Benefits do not let listeners down with Land of the Tyrants, a bold new piece of work from an established sound with roots in their past. Some will say it is of a softer touch than their debut album, Nails, but those who believe this are not listening enough. What has changed is the instrumental, a confident pullback from the noise rock style of their debut effort. Paired with Zera Tønin, Benefits find themselves with a slight edge of synth disco fever, a slice of the 1980s where many of these songs are rooted. Land of the Tyrants does well, as most of Benefits’ work will provide, to elevate the person at the heart of this.  

An attempt at escaping the claustrophobic expectations, lower opportunities and limited possibilities at the heart of those born in difficult circumstances. Those blood-curdling screams heard towards the end of this track are something some of us will feel chillingly desensitised to, and for those in this boat then there is a brighter light in sight. Hail to the thief, as Land of the Tyrants repeats. Over before you know it, the track is worth playing again and again. A confident new sound from Benefits is somewhat of a surprise when their noise rock origins had served them so well. But we must evolve and grow further with the spirit of punk-oriented music. Only those who move through the choppy waters with a constant fear of what to do next will survive, like those others who found their footing on the Zen F.C. label. 

Benefits are not defined by their past and with expectations so high for their future, Land of the Tyrants feels more like a clean break and the start of something new. Punchy instrumentals under a bed of spoken-word fears, a backing vocalist in the mix as they worry for their safety and call for this unknowable thief, worth hailing if they can pull you out of a mess like this. Land of the Tyrants imposes the usual cultural commentaries of the band onto an out-there, lived-in variety of cities and cultures spread far and wide, particularly in the UK. Its benefit comes from the understanding of division, and how the healing process must come to be. Perhaps this is why a softer flourish of lyrical delivery is deployed.  

Whatever the case it is another blinder from Benefits. A strong, strong piece of work which hits out at the rose-tinted culture we now live in. What a time to release a song like this. There is only so much we can look back on what we loved without it becoming a tour of our youth. The world will move on without us, us who watch UK Gold for some brief glimmer of the fun they used to have. Used to is the operative phrase, there is no recapturing it. Every day is a chance to look at ourselves through a new lens, to pave the road towards new horizons, a new feeling for the self. Benefits does it. Why not you? Land of the Tyrants is a bold new sound, a brash and harsh piece of work which questions everything about the self stuck in the past.