Ben Millburn

We’d like to take this time to really welcome Ben Millburn to Austin, though he’s been here working on his debut EP for some time. But, the Louisiana native is here for good, or for now, and he’s ready for you to hear what he’s been working on…and what’s been running through his mind. Strange Love and Consequence, his latest EP, features this powerful track, brimming with the perfect backing harmony and this swelling of huge guitar riffs that ring out in your speaker long after the tune is over. It’s a refreshing listen, not sounding like much else within the confines of the city’s current musical landscape. Give a warm welcome to Ben, if you haven’t already, and grab his new EP on December 11th via Sunglass Mustache Records. - Austin Town Hall

“I’ll Go” doesn’t so much progress as creep forward, spidery guitar ricocheting off Ben Millburn’s howl. “Unsettling” is almost too easy of a way to describe the song — it’s downright chilly, like if Kurt Vile’s weirdest stuff was even more glacial and empty. Its folksy guitar is less down-home friendliness and more tumbleweedy desert, no life around for miles. It’s dark, it’s desolate, and — most importantly — those two things combine to make a compelling song.

“I remember the afternoon that I wrote ‘I’ll Go,’” says Millburn. “I had just driven to Austin from Dallas and I could feel something bubbling up. I had about 20 minutes before I was getting picked up to go somewhere so I grabbed my guitar and played the song pretty much in its final form. My favorite ones seem to come out that way.”

Local Honey drops August 26th. - Pop Matters