Song Recommendation: "Free" by Ben Seretan (2024)

The penultimate track of an album that was apparently written and recorded in a sweaty and anxious 72 hours, Ben Seretan’s “Free” is a tour-de-force featuring spiky, slightly folk-y guitar licks, a driving extended mid-section instrumental breakdown, plaintive lyrics, and an all-around intensity of purpose that’s intoxicating. Reading Seretan’s bio certainly cues you into the fact that the man is a prodigious worker (not only does his discography feature novelties like a 24-hour-long record, but he also releases a new song every week, not to mention numerous other projects). Though I haven’t (yet) heard much beyond the album from which this song hails, titled Allora, it’s obvious he also cares deeply about the craft. Each repeated listen reveals more layers, and it’s certainly one of the quickest ways to spend 8 minutes you’ll have this week.