Clara Benin Learns the Art of Unlearning Through New Track, ‘small town’

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“I need to unlearn you, feels like I know you too well.” OFFMUTE artist Clara Benin is back with another beguiling piece titled “small town,” a pop-rock ode to unlearning feelings, people, and places in order to begin anew.

Following her achingly beautiful song titled “different…” and her 8th WMA-nominated track “Affable Dork,” Clara Benin has once again chronicled feelings of “vulnerability and versatility” in her most recent offering, “small town.” The single was co-written by fellow artist GABBA and produced by Sam Marquez and Tim Marquez of One Click Straight.

Surprisingly and pleasantly upbeat, Benin’s “small town” is an honest profession of “leaving the past behind.” The track talks about forsaking familiar emotions and entering an unfamiliar journey of self-love and healing.

“‘small town’ was inspired by my high school experience living in the province, where it was inevitable to bump into someone you know when you’re out in public… It’s a post-breakup song about trying to find yourself again and struggling because everything around you reminds you of your ex,” the Filipina act shared in an interview.

The “Parallel Universe” artist also shared that a number of her musical works, including previous offerings and this recently released track, are drawn from her fascination with coming-of-age films and stories.

Benin is currently working on a new studio album. According to the acoustic-folk artist, the soon-to-be-released album embodies her growth as a singer and as a music maker.

On the beauty of vulnerability and uncertainty

Those who are avid Clara Benin listeners can easily notice her sentimental storytelling and her warm, almost mesmerizing way of performing. However, the true potency of her sound lies in her ability to capture the stillness, and complexity, of life in metaphoric letters and melodic tunes.

“There are so many possibilities that can happen. And I love the uncertainty of life in that sense, right? I feel like I’m always going to be writing about it. I’m always going to wonder about the what-ifs of life. It’s beautiful,” Benin shared in an interview with Purveyr.

The 29-year-old singer-songwriter is fond of journeying through nostalgic feelings and addressing uncertainties in her previous releases. One of which is her 2023 single titled “different…”, which features her dad, Joey Benin, playing fretless bass, and was produced by Francis Lorenzo and GABBA.

Benin’s painstaking attention to life’s small and big feelings are also evident in her quarantine-produced “It’s Okay” and “blink,” and her original collaborations with Asian acts Gentle Bones (“A Day At A Time”), Charlie Lim (“Wine”), and OPM troupes like Lola Amour (“Closer Than Before”) and Munimuni (“Solomon”). Her smooth, velvety vocals and her intricate guitar-playing skills can best be described as delightfully subdued.

Although putting out music that is “very personal and very vulnerable” can very freeing, Benin also acknowledges that it can also be risky at times. “When you put yourself in a very vulnerable position in front of everyone, it’s scary. That’s something I wrestle with all the time,” she said in her 2019 interview aboard the Wish Bus.

ALSO READ: For the Fragile and Fighting: Clara Benin Unveils New EP, ‘I Rose Up Slowly’

Clara Benin recently performed in the second leg of syd hartha’s “gabay” EP launch at Loqui’s Place in Quezon City and at the UP Town Center, Acacia Courtyard.

Stream “small town” on Spotify:

Listen to Apple Music’s spatial audio version of the “small town”:

Become part of her “Riverchild Tribe” and support her monthly coffee date livestreams via https://www.patreon.com/clarabeninmusic.

READ NEXT: Clara Benin Serves Sweet Intoxication with “Wine” Studio Release

Written by Kristine Claire Paler

Editing by Pauline Bolaños