Debut solo album from long-standing George Ezra sideman Matt Benson. Sit Back Down Again combines the influences of Waits, Morrison, MacGowan and others with an engaging passion for storytelling.

Release Date: 11th July 2025

Label: Self Release

Formats: Digital

A SHOCKINGLY UNUSUAL START

Matt Benson’s involvement in music began in a shockingly unusual way. When he was just 10 years old, an explosion ripped through his father’s Belfast music shop, causing huge damage. Thankfully, Matt’s father managed to salvage a trombone from the wreckage caused by the blast and he set about teaching the young Matt the rudiments of the instrument. Matt took to the trombone like a duck does to water.

Thus began a career that took Matt, via a London music college to a place with festival favourites Brassneck, before taking him around the world as a member of Sam and the Womp and a stint with Bad Manners before culminating in a long-standing berth in George Ezra’s touring band.

IMPRESSIVELY ACCOMPLISHED FRIENDS

That’s a pretty impressive CV, as I’m sure you’ll agree, but Matt has long harboured an ambition to record a solo album and, with the help of a few impressively accomplished friends, that ambition has just been realized. Working with producer Cian Boylan and team of musicians that includes fellow Ezra-alumni David Klinke (guitar) and Fabio de Oliveira (drums), along with bassist Dave Redmond and a dynamite brass section, Matt has produced an album that takes its musical cues from the New Orleans and Celtic jazz of Dr John and Van Morrison and combines it with lyrical inspiration from Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan.

Result? A warm, joyful, collection of songs that move the feet and fill the mind with intrigue. Loss, family, moving on, romance, fleeting adventures and bar-room narratives are just a few of the subjects guaranteed to absorb the listener as Matt Benson exercises his passion for telling a good story. So sit back down again for an absorbing listen to Sit Back Down Again.

CONFESSIONS AND SAD MEMORIES

It’s the jazzy, confessional, The London Line that gets Sit Back Down Again to a cracking start. Matt tells the story of a bar-room romance, set on the day that he moved back to Ireland after a 10-year sojourn in London. Matt’s earthy vocal style is a surprise as he sings the album’s opening couplet: “She had a lust for irreverence and a loathing for the self,” and the listener is left in the certainty of wanting to hear more.

The influence of Randy Newman is particularly prominent in the album’s title track (and lead single). It’s a song of parting and was prompted by the memory of the passing of Matt’s older sister, Catherine, at the age of just 13. Recalling his attachment to Catherine, Matt says: “I was a bit of a mumbler – and I still am, actually. Catherine would be there to translate for me when people were, like: ‘I can’t really understand him.’ She was my best buddy, we really looked out for each other and it was a big thing for a child to go through. My family kind of fell apart around that time as well, but it was very formative for me.” The track has a great sound, with discrete guitar and organ allowing the listener to focus on the vocals.

BROKEN MASTERPIECE

The influence of Dr John is particularly detectable in Broken Masterpiece, the most recent of the four singles to preview the album. The tone is sinister and menacing, as Matt sings lyrics like: “There has to be something supernatural standing there in the shadows. You think you heard footsteps just a second ago…?” and the song builds nicely to a guitar-peppered climax.

Speaking of the song, Matt says: “Broken Masterpiece is a groovier, darker, more angry song. The idea is about a supernatural monster – like a fallen angel that was perfect but has become broken. I imagine myself as a little boy climbing up a tree as it’s just getting dark. As I turn to climb back down, I notice this creature waiting for me with dead eyes and it beckons me with a promise of a reward if I come down. Some people say it’s about the darker parts of your subconscious, but to me, it’s a fun song about a monster.”

SHADES OF VAN MORRISON?

I was reminded of Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately, as I listened to Rest Easy, Wake Happy, a nice, lazy ballad with piano and brushed drums giving prominence to Matt’s rich vocals. And the piano is in the lead again for the soothing Rescue Song but, this time, the band – organ and drums in particular – seem barely constrained, in the best possible way, of course.

Military-styled drumrolls provide the intro to the inspiring Glory, a song described as “…a reflection on advice passed down the generations.” With lyrics like: “If you search for glory, you might find it, don’t you know – and once you get it, then you’ll never let it go,” it’s a song with an anthemic quality. The tune hints at caution, but the lyrics offer a hugely encouraging message.

COOL JAZZ AND HOT LOVE

The Way It Should Be – another of the ‘preview’ singles – is, perhaps my favourite track on the album. It’s probably the jazziest song on offer; Matt’s lyrics tell the (autobiographical, I’d guess…) story of a ‘trombone player from a travelling show.’ Deliciously shuffling drums, plucked double bass and swells of organ provide the prelude to Matt’s wonderful piano solo and the whole affair is topped off with swirls of muted trumpet.

“Find love and never let it go – because life is shorter than you’ll ever know” is the wise advice offered by Strangers and Angels, another excellent song, with a funky piano line and organ and brass stepping in to fill any gaps that may have been left. And simplicity is the theme for the delightful Annie, a song that, with lines like: “…life in all forms gets me down, but tonight, we’ve got it beat,” tells the story of blossoming young love and leaves the listener wishing success to the besotted heroes of the story.

OOZING SLIME

But there are no good wishes to be spared for the eponymous lead character of The Well Dressed Gentleman – an odious, evil figure who prays upon the innocence of his victims. Matt’s tune is as jazzy and sleazy as the subject matter merits and the trumpets, in particular, ooze slime.

The circumstances of the first meeting between Matt’s Irish grandmother and his American soldier grandfather are the subject of Nancy and the Soldier, an epic, atmospheric, evocative song. Matt’s lyrics tell a sad, charming story of that meeting, but those lyrics, as it turns out, are pure conjecture. Strings supplement the band on a song that is destined to be the subject of repeat plays.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL…

And it’s another evocative story song that concludes Sit Back Down Again. Strings enhance the 1940s feel and the sense of loneliness inherent in The Last Goodbye, but all’s well at the end, as the closing lines conclude: “She’s got a smile back on her face, and a red dress to wear.”

Matt Benson has waited a long time for the opportunity to release his solo debut album. The wait has been worthwhile; Sit Back Down Again is a fine album, packed with engaging stories and excellent music. Well worth a long, deep, listen.

Watch the official video to The Way It Should Be – a track from the album – below:

Matt Benson online: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Spotify

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