Singer-songwriter Benjamin Booker is back with his first new music in seven years, “Lwa In the Trailer Park,” which will appear on his upcoming album, Lower.
“Lwa In the Trailer Park” signals a major shift artistic shift for Booker from the blues, punk, and Americana-inspired sounds of his first two albums to something more experimental and noisier (Booker co-produced the album with celebrated producer Kenny Segal). But Booker’s songcraft and knack for melody remain tight as ever, as he sings in hushed tones over blown-out drums and screaming guitars, “No one will ever love me/I see the way they talk about people on this side of town.”
The song also arrives with a music video, which Booker made with Gerry Cisneros. In the clip, the camera follows Booker from behind as he walks through a trailer park, making his way towards a building where he’s got a man tied up in the back. The video ends with the first color shot of a knife being held aloft.
Speaking of the video, Booker cited screenwriter and director Paul Schrader, whose work he felt “particularly connected to” throughout the making of Lower. “Like several of his movies, I wanted to look at a troubled character on the edge, reaching for transcendence,” Booker said. “Now that I’m working on a series of connected videos, Schrader has had an influence in that arena as well, along with Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai and Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep.”
Lower is set to arrive Jan. 24, 2025, on Fire Next Time Records via Thirty Tigers. The album follows Booker’s celebrated 2017 effort, Witness, as well as his breakthrough 2014 self-titled debut.
To make Lower, Booker said, “I wanted to get to this sound, but I didn’t know how. At some point I decided I’m going to find it or die trying.”
He eventually partnered with Segal — best known for his collaborations with rapper Billy Woods — with the two sending song stems over email while Booker was in Australia. “Kenny was the missing piece I needed — he fills in all of my gaps,” Booker said. “I don’t know what I’ll do next, but if I can imagine it, I can do it now.”
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Booker has also revealed a run of 2025 tour dates in support of Lower. The tour will kick off on Feb. 2 at the Soda Bar in San Diego and wrap on March 7 at Siberia in New Orleans. Segal will join Booker throughout the trek.
Benjamin Booker 2025 Tour Dates
Feb. 2 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Feb. 4 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Feb. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Feb. 6 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
Feb. 8 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Feb. 9 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
Feb. 10 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Feb. 11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Feb. 13 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Feb. 15 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
Feb. 16 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Feb. 18 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Feb. 19 – Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
Feb. 21 – Toronto, Ontario @ Longboat Hall
Feb. 22 – Montreal, Québec @ L’Esco
Feb. 23 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Feb. 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Public Records
Feb. 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Public Records
Feb. 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Feb. 28 – Washington, D.C. @ Union Stage
March 2 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
March 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
March 5 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
March 7 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia