Nashville rock stalwarts Benchmarks announce their new album Summer, Slowly with the release of their first A side B side single “Our Finest Hour” and “Technicolor.” The album will be available digitally August 21, 2020.

“Our upcoming record represents, perhaps, the best version of this band. It’s certainly the most fun and creatively satisfying piece of music I’ve ever been a part of. The making of this record has also seen several job changes, one marriage, three new kids, two new band members, a lot of road miles, and countless late nights in the studio. We truly put our heart and soul into it,” Todd Farrell Jr. says.

For those unfamiliar with Benchmarks or primary singer songwriter, Todd Farrell Jr, the band has previously released American Night and Our Undivided Attention (Sofaburn).  Todd also spent several years as the touring guitarist for Columbus, Ohio, band Two Cow Garage.  The band has toured and shared the stage with such notable acts Sammy Kay, Bud Bronson and the Good Timers, Iron Chic, Lucero, Restorations, Timeshares, John Moreland, Mike Vallely, Lydia Loveless, Frank Turner, and Austin Lucas.  

Farrell had this to say about each of the tracks:

“’Our Finest Hour’ is about trying to understand what my role is in the fight for the rights and justice for marginalized communities. I’m a white, straight, privileged male, and my first instinct is always to stand up and state MY opinion from MY perspective. However, my perspective is already out there 10-fold. Before I can truly be an ally, I need to listen. Listen to women’s voices. Listen to people of color’s voices. Listen to immigrants’ voices. Listen to LGBTQ+ voices. Understand that I may not have the right answer, and I must be willing to change my approach and perspective to truly help. Like most of our songs, it’s about trying to be better.

“’Technicolor,’ on the other hand, is about making more personal changes to combat your own mental health issues. For the longest time, I did what I thought I was supposed to do to achieve happiness. Even as a musician, there are pre-set roads that we think we’re supposed to take that may make us feel good about ourselves on the surface, but don’t really quench the thirst. I thought I was supposed to be on the road 150+ days a year to be considered a ‘real musician,’ but I ultimately found that unfulfilling. It wasn’t an easy thing to walk away from, but I don’t ever regret it. I want to play guitar when I want to, not because I must. I want to make music so that I can express myself, not sell a quota of records, hit a quota of tour dates, and sell a quota of tickets to survive. Maybe that’s un-punk of me, but I’m very happy having more freedom of my creative time and energy.”

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