{"title":"Benji Hughes","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorth Carolina’s \u003cstrong\u003eBenji Hughes\u003c\/strong\u003e fronted a rock band in the nineties. He’s written commercial jingles (“Got a Little Captain in You?” for Captain Morgan rum). He’s made music for film and television (\u003ci\u003eWalk Hard\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEastbound \u0026amp; Down\u003c\/i\u003e). He released 2008’s \u003ci\u003eA Love Extreme\u003c\/i\u003e, his excellent double-LP debut record. His eccentric Merge debut \u003ci\u003eSongs in the Key of Animals\u003c\/i\u003e was released in 2016. It’s the kind of record that reminds us music can be fun without being empty. But these ventures aren’t different hats Hughes wears. They’re not different paths traveled. This is Hughes playing in different keys.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"benji-hughes-shark-attack-b-w-mama-i-m-a-zombie","title":"Benji Hughes - \"Shark Attack\" b\/w \"Mama, I'm a Zombie\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe fact that the A-side could have been the soundtrack to Benji’s (and Merge’s) home state of North Carolina this summer should not stop anyone’s enjoyment of one of the catchiest songs ever written. The B-side could have been snagged from a lost Magnetic Fields album about monsters. Zombies love to party, and you will too!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7-inch does not include a download card.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":52739200975159,"sku":"MRG556lp","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/62287fb5fc6795b37df078f69ab4d8927c45da81_62b84569eb93913c3e972dac9fc4d1c27ee76c0d_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381070"},{"product_id":"benji-hughes-freaky-feedback-blues-b-w-jazz-x-10","title":"Benji Hughes - \"Freaky Feedback Blues\" b\/w \"Jazz x 10\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis single features a rollicking jam about lightning, clairvoyant white­haired girls, and tigers while the B­-side kicks off with a sweet drum beat that would fit right in at the skating rink.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7-inch does not include a download card.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":52739201466679,"sku":"MRG557lp","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/0e3d570a6d2dc0901fd5fbff2465ff15ad23dbe4_9f235c4451f6c77bf0877a2b3947c4c4599c7701_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381073"},{"product_id":"benji-hughes-songs-in-the-key-of-animals","title":"Benji Hughes - Songs in the Key of Animals","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorth Carolina’s \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/benji-hughes\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBenji Hughes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e fronted a rock band in the nineties. He’s written commercial jingles (“Got a Little Captain in You?” for Captain Morgan rum). He’s made music for film and television (\u003ci\u003eWalk Hard\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEastbound \u0026amp; Down\u003c\/i\u003e). He released 2008’s \u003ci\u003eA Love Extreme\u003c\/i\u003e, his excellent double-LP debut record. But these ventures aren’t different hats Hughes wears. They’re not different paths traveled. This is Hughes playing in different keys.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNow, for his first full-length on Merge, Benji Hughes is playing \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSongs in the Key of Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. Recorded over two years mostly at Frisbie studios in New York, the record is 41 minutes of pop-music exploration. The album has a summertime immediacy but an evergreen resonance (see “Longshot”). It’s clever but too deep for punchlines (check the excellent back and forth of “Picnic”). It is sincere (“Girls Love Shoes”) yet heartbreaking (“Song for Nancy”). It’s eccentric but never forced in its strangeness. It’s the kind of record that reminds us music can be fun without being empty. It’s an album full of peacocks and sharks and zebras and tigers, but ultimately, it’s about us. “People are animals,” Hughes says, “even if some people don’t want to admit it.” \u003ci\u003eSongs in the Key of Animals\u003c\/i\u003e taps into something beyond just intellect or trend or taste. It’s all about the feel, the connection between the player, the music, and the listener.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp class=\"normal\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cfont color=\"red\"\u003eLP includes a coupon for a full download. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739204710711,"sku":"MRG551LP","price":19.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2-CD","offer_id":52739204743479,"sku":"MRG551cd","price":15.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739204776247,"sku":"MRG551digital","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/4ca01e1fb2869c2cb0803a58cde55e321d3bb53e_17fdebd97dbeadc4d577e96b5b84d24c5070ee75_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381100"}],"url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/collections\/benji-hughes.oembed","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}