Ben Kweller - Wasted and Ready

It's official, Ben Kweller makes sun shine.

Wasted & Ready released today (2nd Sept) is one of those great nuggets of guitar-pop which not only lends itself perfectly to your holiday mixtape but positively begs for a bummed out day on the beach. Possibly the standout track from his fizzy debut album, Sha Sha.

The Dando (that's Evan, in case you're wondering) effect is in full bloom here, with warm bursts of fuzzbox guitar gambolling over Ben's hybrid Texan/New York drawl. It's a familiar sound, but with a newly grown maturity and scope of lyric. Borrowing non-sequiters from Gregg Araki's 1995 movie "Doom Generation".

Ben explains: "It's about that movie and the drug culture, but it's also about the negative side of partying and waking up the next day and being bummed out about what you did."

The new single follows on from the success of his debut UK release, EP Phone Home, which was an XFM B-list and became a firm favourite of Radio 1's indie fraternity.

Backed by new songs, Problems & I Don’t Know Why? (taken from the super limited ep ‘Freakout: It’s Ben Kweller).

Ben Kweller has just played storming sets at Reading and Leeds festivals. He also be played a headline co-op show for our mate John Kennedy’ Exposure show of XFM on the 28th August @ Dingwalls.

Praise for our little friend:

‘he’s just a real talent’ Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

‘benjamim lev kweller is a phenomenon’ Dazed

‘geek rock album of the year’ The Independent

‘a solo album that is so American pop literate you could write a thesis about it’ The Times

‘kweller’s witty and fresh faced guitar pop is a welcome confection’ Times Play

www.benkweller.com