Ben Varian’s ONE HUNDRED BREAKFASTS WITH THE BOOK Is A Golden Slice of California Pop

Los Angeles multi-instrumentalist Ben Varian’s third album, ONE HUNDRED BREAKFASTS WITH THE BOOK, is a golden slice of humid AM pop that recalls the warm mid-century glow of late-’60s California. As a touring member of indie rock bands like Dent May and Chris Cohen, Varian has cut his teeth laying the framework for the same type of sincere, sunny acts his latest record evokes. ONE HUNDRED BREAKFASTS WITH THE BOOK plays like a Captured Tracks artist putting their spin on PET SOUNDS, and its goofy lyricism is perfectly complemented by the record’s warm, cartoon-like synthesizer flourishes. It’s an earnest and human work that still serves up a healthy dose of bohemian surreality.

The guitar riff for opener “One Note Blues” brings to mind the thrill of stumbling upon Mac DeMarco on YouTube in the early-2010s, but its tom-heavy drum shuffle would fit nicely on a record from Varian’s peers like Ryan Pollie or Dark Tea. With lyrics about Netflix trials and neurotic boredom, it sets the scene for the goofy-yet-grounded record that is to come. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” sounds like your high school jazz band doing Steely Dan, while “Jonie” is a piano ballad about the mundanities of day-to-day life that reminds me I desperately need to change the battery in my smoke alarm (seriously, how can I make that thing stop beeping?). The record is tied together by an analog glow that recalls The Band or Harry Nilson, but never lets the listener forget that Varian cut his teeth in some of the most innovative bands of the 2010s. ONE HUNDRED BREAKFASTS WITH THE BOOK is out tomorrow, January 29th, via Lobby Art Records, but you can stream it a day early below.

Grab a copy of ONE HUNDRED BREAKFASTS WITH THE BOOK today over on Bandcamp!