The pop punk genre is here to stay, but no one is as creative with it as an artist you’ve probably never even heard of

“I’m Benjamin” is his name, and fusing experimental pop and hip hop with the tried and true pop punk sounds of the 2000s is his game. I personally held out on hope that his newest album would be anything new, anything different. After all, his projects leading up to this point were nothing to write home about. But leave it to an artist in his twenties to take my assumptions and put them in an early grave; “To the Love of My Life, Goodbye” isn’t an album, but rather, an experience, and one that stands tall in comparison to the multitude of pop punk projects in circulation today.

From the second that this album began, I was left in awe at the bold choice of an introduction; a glitchy, upbeat, melancholic mixture of experimental pop and hip hop. But rather than stray away from this sound in fear of it overstaying its welcome, Benjamin throws all caution to the wind. That’s right, the entire first half of this LP is scattered with a variety of experimental soundscapes and lyricism. And by the time the second half had begun, I found myself wishing the first half was still continuing. But that’s not to say the second half isn’t a worthy opponent to the first. On the contrary, the second half is pure pop punk gold, seamlessly weaving in and out of a genre that most would find tedious and grueling. But when it comes to this young man’s lyricism, it’s easily the saving grace that maintains a steady trajectory over the latter portion of the project.

“To the Love of My Life, Goodbye” finds Benjamin attempting to overcome a relationship fueled by heartbreak, and when it comes down to whether or not the relationship was genuine, you can feel that it was genuine, permanently cementing Benjamin in the heartbreak genre, and showing that his fanbase, aptly called “Heartbreakers”, earned their name.

All in all, there is still much growth to be had when it comes to I’m Benjamin’s repertoire as a whole. His mixes are somewhere in between amateur and professional, but when the album concluded, when the final track came to an end, I found myself in a melancholic mental state, transporting back to high school and reminiscing about the one that got away. And when an album can do that to a person, I find myself looking at the aforementioned gripes about the mix and realizing how much I truly don’t care.

(Written by Jacob Moore)