Toulouse EP Review

Ahh BENNAAY TIPEENNAAYYY! There’s something about his name that someone I know was never able to pronounce in any fashion other than in the ostentatious X Factor NZ announcer style.

Benny Tipene the media darling; Benny the scapegoat, Benny the bearer of unfair sleights on his talent and song writing skills; he’s all these things and yet none of these things and the best part of all is, one listen to his stunning EP Toulouse and you’ll be hooked! Look, if you’ve been anywhere near a screen over our passed Kiwi summer then you’ll be familiar with Make You Mine; it’s been inescapable as the soundtrack to a fizzy commercial for the yoof. So lest you fertilize your poppies to encourage tall, judgey-wudgey growth, do yourself a favour and skip on past to track two, Lonely and then on to enjoy another four deliciously delicate and introspective acoustic folky pop tracks, that are so inviting you’ll be singing them by the second chorus of each track; and that’s not cause they’re formulaic it’s because they are easy, comfortable and natural to slip into.

What you see is what you get with this album and I suspect with Benny himself; the
slick boy-bandesque styled promo shot has been replaced by an abstract-ish portrait painting, hailing out to you to become enamoured. If you’re still not convinced, for any fans of Dallas Green and his superb City and Colour releases out there…then Toulouse is right up your alley. Benny, if I may address the nation’s alternative-folk son so informally; has taken his time to create this little love letter of an EP and it smacks of the delay being due to his perfectionism and care to produce a solid, lasting debut effort; rather than a potentially perceived scramble to create content. Long may his reign of measured song writing contribute to our musical landscape for many years to come.