Lychee (EP)

''Lychee'' is the third extended play by New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee. Released on 4 March 2022 by Republic Records, it reached the top 15 of the New Zealand Albums Chart.

Development

Much of ''Lychee'' was developed and recorded in Los Angeles with a number of well-known producers, specifically Kenny Beats, Greg Kurstin, and Rostam. Benee had never previously collaborated with the latter two musicians. She also initially worked on the project in her home country of New Zealand with regular collaborator Josh Fountain. However, she preferred engaging in the creative process in Los Angeles due to stringent COVID-19 lockdown measures in place at the time in New Zealand, which made her feel hopeless and at a loss for song ideas. She additionally considered collaborating with Fountain, though a positive experience, to not push her out of her comfort zone enough.

Benee named the EP after the fruit of the same name as she was having trouble choosing a satisfactory title, so ultimately simply went with the name of something she loved.

Songs

The EP opener, "Beach Boy," was described by Benee as a "pure fantasy" set in Los Angeles. It lyrically discusses the conflicting feelings of the early stages of a relationship, where one may simultaneously be contempt with being alone and also still crave romance. Its indie sound was inspired by The Japanese House. Second track "Soft Side" contains hyperpop and house influences, while Benee made "Hurt You, Gus" to channel the energy she felt during New Zealand's lockdowns. "Never Ending" incorporates elements of rock music and is followed by "Marry Myself," which has a lighter tone that is infused with drum and bass.

"Doesn't Matter" is a "mellow" song surrounding Benee's attempts to cope with her mental health issues, including an OCD diagnosis, and how people often misunderstand the realities of mental health problems. It is another song she created to channel her lockdown anxiety and was one of the first made for ''Lychee'' overall. The final track, "Make You Sick," is a "trippy" experimental electronic song with freestyled lyrics. Originally thirteen minutes in length and intended for a New Zealand runway show prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was eventually cut down to just under seven minutes.

Prior to the release of ''Lychee'', two of its tracks were released as singles: "Doesn't Matter" in October 2021 and "Beach Boy" in February 2022. "Never Ending" was released as a third single concurrently with the EP.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from TIDAL.

Musicians

* Benee – vocals (all tracks)
* Rostam Batmanglij – acoustic guitar, drum programming, electric bass, electric guitar, synthesizer (4)
* Josh Fountain – programming (7)
* Greg Kurstin – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer (1)
* Joey Messina-Doerning – percussion (4)
* Tom Young – bass (3)

Technical

* Rostam Batmanglij – production (4)
* Julian Burg – engineering (1)
* Scott Desmarais – mixing assistance (4)
* Tom Elmhirst – engineering (6)
* Robin Florent – mixing assistance (4)
* Josh Fountain – engineering, mixing (7), production (3, 6, 7)
* Chris Galland – engineering (4)
* Dilip Harris – engineering (2, 3)
* Jeremie Inhaber – mixing assistance (4)
* Greg Kurstin – engineering (1), production (1, 5)
* Jan 'Stan' Kybert – engineering (2-5, 7)
* Manny Marroquin – mixing (4)
* Randy Merrill – mastering (1, 4, 6)
* Matt Scatchell – engineering (6)
* Spike Stent – mixing (1, 5)
* Matt Tuggle – engineering (1)

Charts

References

External links

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2022 EPs
Benee EPs
Albums produced by Josh Fountain
Albums produced by Greg Kurstin
Albums produced by Kenny Beats
Republic Records EPs