From the isolated prairies of Saskatoon, Alex Bent pulls his influences from the wavy R&B and hip hop scene of Toronto. But unlike those influences, Alex Bent + the Emptiness‘ music is expansive and gorgeous.
Almost two years in the making, Blonde American Girl features Led Zeppelin samples, and speech samples from “Lost In Translation” and “The Girl Next Door”, along with a subtle background trumpet from Bent’s grandfather, Thomas Cuthill. Like the prairies that Bent would drive through as he listened to early drafts of the song, he takes you on a journey to the edges of an expansive landscape filled with self doubt, loss, and longing, “teach me how to give and pleasure, I don’t got a fucking clue, I know the last man that loved you, knew exactly what to do.” As the song crescendos, Bent moves beyond the fire in his eyes and fades into the vast field of tall grass and warm summer air. If unrequited love is what it takes to create something like Blonde American Girl, we’re hoping Bent endures more of them.
Available as a free download, the song will also be featured on Bent’s forthcoming album, Dead, In The Water, due for this summer.