ALBUM REVIEW: SOME THINGS BREAK – BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH

“Some Things Break” is Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s mesmerisng memoir of heartbreak and
healing.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s latest album “Some Things Break” contains reassuring renditions of personal experiences. Whether these experiences are true or conceptualised through his expert songwriting and artistry, each song will connect to someone. The 10-track record will allow listeners to relish in the rhythmic exploration of relationships and religion. In this catalogue of stories, Leftwich follows a standard structure with each song being an average of 3 minutes. However, while it is an ordinarily structured album, nothing about the singing or songwriting are ordinary. Releasing this album with Dirty Hit, the 1975’s label, Leftwich also worked with Lewis Capaldi to create the record. This has proven to be a success with “Some Things Break” as both artists share a similar talent when it comes to sublime songwriting and
truthful tales.

With most tracks presented as ballads, with the exception of ‘God’s Best’, it is a record that provides relaxing listening. ‘God’s Best’ explores more of a pop influence, venturing into a somewhat similar sound to the 1975. Benjamin delves into the discussion of pressures of everyday life and how the “world’s weighing down on me lately”. The primarily relaxing momentum is a nice change from much louder tracks that have become popular. Speaking of popularity, ‘New York’ and ‘Break In The Weather’ have quickly become two of Benjamin’s most popular tracks.

‘Break In The Weather’ is a stunning song that provides positive premonitions with lines like “it’s gonna get way better, there’s gonna be a break in the weather” and speaks of “one more summer”. ‘New York’ follows a similar sentiment when it comes to heartfelt lyrics. It discusses feeling isolated and alone even in a crowded place and searching for a specific person or thing within this crowd. “No-one here in New York seems to care that I’m alone” and “the only thing worth chasing is you” are lyrics that paint the picture of seeking a specific concept. The idea of only looking for a certain special someone or something continues in ‘Only You’. In this track, Leftwich explores the idea that your world can revolve around one person, “no matter where I turn, I can’t deny it’s only you”. The temporary concept of life and a once in a lifetime relationship is talked of in ‘A Love Like That’ and ‘Spokane, Washington’. “I want a love like that, the kind that makes your heart break” and “I want an end of the world kind of feeling” are lyrics in ‘A Love Like That’ that express longing for a love to remember. This doesn’t have to be a relationship love, it could be platonic, showing the versatility in his songwriting. This is further expressed in ‘Spokane, Washington’, a letter to his father, “I know I can’t be with you, just know I’m feeling sad but not alone”. He speaks about slowly “learning to breathe” and “fly”. It is a heartfelt tale that speaks to all who have experienced loss and bereavement.

Acceptance is also a theme within Benjamin’s latest record with tracks like ‘I’m Always Saying Sorry’, ‘Don’t Give Up On Light’, ‘Some Things Break’ and ‘Moon Landing Hoax’. With ‘Don’t Give Up On Light’, Leftwich gifts listeners notions full of inspiration. Lyrics like “don’t give up on light, just ‘cos you can’t see”, “if you’re hurting now, you won’t always be” and “when you’re breaking down, you’re just breaking free” are beautiful to listen to. He further proves his lyrical talent in ‘Moon Landing Hoax’ where he talks of exhausting all options of hope and healing, “I’ve read all the books that you read when you’re broke, I even got into the moon landing hoax”. In this track, he also talks about time being an aspect in healing, “if time is a healer, be patient with me”. In the title track, ‘Some Things Break’, the hope concept carries on. Benjamin gives reassurance that everything will be okay after things like heartbreak, “that’s
alright, some things break”.

“Some Things Break” is an album that flows. Each song is related to one another in different ways. Benjamin Francis Leftwich beautifully vocalises his stories and concepts in a way that everyone will understand and relate to. This is a record that I have really enjoyed listening to and experiencing and one I will continue to return to time and time again.