New York-based musician and songwriter Benjamin Lazar Davis, better known for his work with Okkervil River and Cuddle Magic. Two years after his debut full-length, he has announced the release of a new album which will be out in 2021. “If You Want It” is a new track which comes with the official video.
The track was co-written with Lip Talk’s Sarah K. Pedinotti and is about recognizing that someone you love is lost and unable to be honest with themselves. He explains: “If You Want It” was written by Sarah K. Pedinotti and I in her apartment in Brooklyn, NY. We finished the whole thing in one day. It just flew out of us. It was also the first song we recorded on day one of the recording sessions in Saratoga Springs, NY (myself, Lars Horntveth, and Luke Moellman). We started by taking the top off of an old Steinway upright, with Lars putting duct tape on the strings right where the hammers hit them — giving them that muted sound you hear.
Then I added nylon string acoustic guitar, and Lars added lap steel and bass clarinet. It was cathartic because I had never really worked with Lars before, and when he added the piano I cried. It was so beautiful to me. To me, the lyrics are about recognizing that someone is lost and unable to be honest with themselves. It’s about trying to shake them out of their fog covering so that they can make the right decision, which is to drop everything and be with you. You’re telling them to look you in the eye and hoping that they won’t be able to lie to your face.”