Ben Beal - Clumsy

Published by the looking at birds label on February 5, 2025, this album marks Ben Beal's second studio project, following directly on from gazebo (2024) without ever deviating from his established path.

Clumsy: Ben Beal's second studio album, under the watchful eye of looking at birds

The Lo-Fi production provides a neutral but effective backdrop, allowing the rapper to alternate between pure introspection and brief exchanges with a small circle. This is an artistic snapshot where the artist constantly oscillates between a self-assured solitude on the majority of the tracks and occasional communion with a few key figures. This continued approach under the looking at birds label validates a mature approach, where each track is treated as a compact unit rather than a simple link in a long narrative.

The opening and closing: "Loser" and "Clumsy," marking the boundaries of a solo introspection

The two tracks on the disc, loser in first place and clumsy in seventeenth place, frame a 17-track journey with an average length of around two minutes and twenty-eight seconds per song. These two tracks define the boundaries of a largely solitary sonic experience, with neither being a collaboration with another artist. This open-ended structure suggests that introspection is the driving force of the project, with an opening that sets the stage and a closing that validates this immersion in a personal world. The total duration of 41 minutes and 39 seconds provides ample time to digest this continuous flow without ever losing sight of the initial editorial direction set by the artist.

The album's sonic density relies on a strict alternation between solo tracks and these rare moments of shared vocals. On the remaining fourteen tracks, Ben Beal chooses to remain alone in the studio, which further emphasizes the intimate nature of each recording. This strategy creates an echo chamber effect, where Lo-Fi is not just a sound aesthetic but a genuine space of confinement. Jazz Rap blends with the codes of Lo-Fi Hip Hop to create an abstract atmosphere where every minute counts, and the brevity of external interventions reinforces their impact. In conclusion, Clumsy captures Ben Beal at a specific point in his career: that of a creator capable of navigating solo on compact tracks while also knowing how to occasionally call upon a close circle to enrich his sonic universe. The album does not seek complexity through accumulation, but depth through balance, validating a reception where solitude and collaboration coexist without challenging each other. It is a work that marks a stage of artistic consolidation, where past collaborations with Elijah Who or new alliances with atlas and other figures of camp rock only serve to highlight the strength of a project that is essentially personal.

Technical specifications

- Release Date: February 5, 2025 - Label: looking at birds - Tracks: 17 (41 minutes 39 seconds) - Opening/Closing: loser / clumsy - Guests: atlas, noah..., Grxnt, Elijah Who, NoTrust, Goldwood, Ygb - Previous Album: gazebo (2024)