How is it May already? With a brand new month comes a brand new Track of the Week.
BIMM Institute Brighton’s Edie Bens effortlessly combines folk and country influences with elements of new-age pop. Here, she tells us about her new track ‘Cashmere Sweaters’ and let us in on her songwriting process.
What was your inspiration when you began writing the song?
I wrote this song about a year ago while on the train back from London. I’d seen a post on Instagram about an old friend getting a promotion at his father’s company and quickly wrote a song about that. I haven’t told them that though!
Are there any artists that inspire you when writing?
I am massively inspired by Fleetwood Mac, John Prine, and Carol King. I also love a lot of the indie music coming out of Australia at the moment and I think you can hear that influence in my music.
What is key to your sound and how do you make your music stand out?
Real instruments and good producers. I’ve been really lucky to record most of my songs in some really lovely studios where we’ve been able to experiment with some really cool old instruments and sounds. I try not to focus too much ‘on the sound’ but more on getting the vibe right. The sound always seems to follow.
How does your songwriting process work?
My songwriting process is usually pretty quick everything as seems to come at once. I think that’s because I spend a lot of time practising writing sub-par songs. So, when the stars align it’s a smoother process. I personally believe that you can’t control those moments; you just have to be prepared.
Describe your sound in 3 words…
Sleepy, rock and roll.
How has studying at BIMM helped you develop as an artist?
I’ve had the best three years! I’ve met so many amazing people, and really feel part of a community.
Studying at BIMM has allowed me to be completely immersed in music every day, which is the dream really.
What’s next for you?
Things are obviously very strange at the moment considering we are in lockdown, but I’m very excited to be putting out more music and hopefully getting back to playing lots of gigs very soon.
