Song of the Day: Benjamin Verdoes - Highly Emotional

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Highly Emotional” by Benjamin Verdoes, from the 2015 EP The One & The Other on Brick Lane Records.

Benjamin Verdoes - Highly Emotional (MP3)

Former Seattleite, one half of Iska Dhaaf, Somali-speaking, Walt Whitman-loving Benjamin Verdoes has grown immensely as an artist but especially as a producer over the years and never has it shown more than on his latest EP. "Highly Emotional" is just one of the stand-out tracks that expresses a darker, spacier sound than Verdoes has ever done, moving him farther away from the Death Cab for Cutie comparisons he got for 2014's The Evil Eye and towards electronic producers such as SOHN, Son Lux, and How To Dress Well. It's an exciting departure for the former leader of the social media adept Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band.

Benjamin Verdoes is currently touring Europe with Iska Dhaaf but will be in Leavenworth for Timbrrr! Music Festival, going on January 29th and 30th. Until then, check out Verdoes' live in-studio KEXP performance from March 2014 below. You can also keep up with Benjamin Verdoes on Facebook and Twitter.