Benjamin Booker – LOWER (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

When neighbors burned a cross in his yard when he was six, Benjamin Booker says he shut the world out and began to live in his head. After a debut influenced by Jack White's buzzing, guitar-forward ethos, Booker—who has spent time in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Perth, Australia—has turned his inner wonders and convictions into his most varied full-length album yet. As he sings on "POMPEII STATUES," he was guided by "Going deeper into madness/ Going deeper into darkness/ Going deeper into new doubt." Given Booker's whispered vocals, the vibe is chill despite lyrics that churn and twist with worry and confusion.