Alec Benjamin delivers a picturesque spectrum of personal tales with his dreamlike debut album These Two Windows. 

Arizon’a singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin made his music breakthrough only two years ago with his highly acclaimed debut mixtape, Narrated For You, and he’s already managed to sell out two London shows and support the Scottish sweetheart Lewis Capaldi on his sold out UK tour – and honestly we can see why. Much like Lewis, Alec Benjamin managed to captivate his audience with his emotional and descriptive songwriting inspired by his own personal relatable experiences, marking him as one of the greatest storytellers of his generation. His debut album These Two Windows has finally arrived, and we can honestly say it lives up to every single expectation we ever had.

The album sheds light on a spectrum of personal stories that range from a big love loss, tackling inner demons, future life hopes and reminiscing on past memories with loved ones all through Alec’s divinely wistful acoustics and powerfully poignant vocals. The album title perfectly summarises all these themes and derives from its opener Mind Is A Prison where Alec croons  ‘Got two windows and those windows, well I call them my eyes’, as he previously explained that those windows are his perspective on what he’s been going through the last 12 months.

Alec is clearly not afraid to admit that he’s been battling with his inner self, as he further explores those emotions on several tracks such as Oh My God, I’m Not A Cynic and especially on Demons. Sonically similar to Jesus In LA and Alamo, Demons is melodically more upbeat than the rest of the album, creating a playful acoustic anthem as Benjamin shows gratefulness for a dear friend who stood by him during those difficult times.

The Book Of You & I is a nostalgic look back at the good memories of the beginning of a beautiful young relationship, dominated by tender acoustic guitar and doleful piano chords that add to its emotional feeling. Successor Match In The Rain follows to truthfully unveil the harsh ending of that love that was unfortunately impossible to save. ‘I still want to make you love, make you love me again / Even though my intuition tells me that it’s the end / That in these conditions tryna bring back the flame is like / Tryna light a match in the rain’.

These Two Windows is a short and sweet tale from the talented artist that is Alec Benjamin and he couldn’t possibly end on a more grateful note as he dedicates an ode to his father with Just Like You. ‘Now that I’m older, realized my father / Was doing the best he could do / Told him one day I’ll have a son or daughter / And when I’m a father too, I hope that I am just like you’. The melodically melancholic soundscape doesn’t need anything else besides soft guitar strums and Alec’s angelic sounding vocals as he once again manages to turn despair into enduring hope.