Ben Khan - Ben Khan

To say Ben Khan’s return has been a long time coming would be the understatement of the year so far. Since emerging in 2014, the producer /songwriter fell largely silent until finally announcing the release of his self-titled debut. ‘Ben Khan’ tries to pack every second of that time spent away into the record’s forty minutes, and it results in a wildly inventive, varied, kaleidoscopic album, but one that also ends up being largely muddled.

Single ‘do it right’ is a slinky highlight, but across 15 tracks, the album begins to lose its way, unsure of its ultimate purpose. All manner of swirling interludes pop up at intervals throughout, giving it the feel of a real trip, but the punch needed from the songs in between is still somewhat lacking. Far from a disaster, Ben Khan’s long-awaited debut is a necessary one, feeling like a cleansing of the palate.