“This music was inspired by the thoughts that are always jangling around my brain,” BENEE tells Apple Music. “I find it really hard to switch off.” Like the rest of us, the New Zealand alt-pop star was forced to confront her internal thought processes at length during lockdown. But luckily that experience resulted in a fruitful creative outpouring for her. On her first new release since her 2020 debut album Hey u x, BENEE links up with co-writers like Greg Kurstin, Kenny Beats, Rostam and regular collaborator Josh Fountain to deepen her dreamy sound without losing the confiding quality of her intimate, murmured vocals. The seven-track LYCHEE EP sees BENEE reflect on spending healthy amounts of time by herself while managing the ongoing presence of anxiety. “I’ve spent a lot of time by myself thinking about my friends, my relationships and my place in this crazy mixed-up world we are living in,” she says. Below, BENEE explains how that sustained self-examination and strong yearning for new musical horizons guided each track on LYCHEE. “Beach Boy” “This is an LA summer fantasy about a no-strings-attached romance where no one gets hurt.” “Soft Side” “It was great to reconnect with Kenny Beats on this track. He’s so cool to work with. I love everything he creates.” “Hurt You, Gus” “This is about caring for someone a lot but not being able to give yourself to them entirely. I wrote it at the start of my last relationship, when I felt like I was pushing away a bit.” “Never Ending” “One of my personal favourites on the EP. It’s a totally different sound for me. Rostam is an amazing producer: I love his ear for alternative flavours.” “Marry Myself” “This carries on the theme from ‘Beach Boy’. I’m so happy to be strong enough to enjoy being by myself.” “Doesn’t Matter” “This is a pretty personal song about my OCD, and in it I’m really wondering what it would be like if I didn’t have such high levels of anxiety.” “Make You Sick” “I love that this is so different to anything else I’ve done. I was really able to just do whatever with this song, and it feels like a journey listening to it.”