Georgia-based singer-songwriter Ben Bostick releases his new album, Grown Up Love, a ten-track collection of love songs born out of the pandemic.
The genesis of Grown Up Love occurred in February 2020, when Bostick witnessed the birth of his second daughter. One month later, the pandemic struck, shutting everything down. A few months after that, Bostick’s eldest daughter was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a genetic disorder. In the middle of all this, Bostick set aside the album he was working on and wrote a group of love songs to sustain his wife and him.
Born and raised in South Carolina, Bostick left home, moving from place to place, working odd jobs. Eventually, he arrived in California, where he began busking on the Santa Monica pier. To his amazement, he discovered success. Saving his money, he recorded his debut EP, My Country, which was nominated for an Independent Music Award in the Roots/Country category.
In 2017, he released his self-titled debut album, followed by 2018’s Hellfire, a pool of powerful songs written during his band’s residency at The Escondite in Los Angeles.
2019 found Bostick and his family in Atlanta, Georgia, where he released Among the Faceless Crowd, an album about the plight of the working class as they endured the pandemic. Likened to Springsteen’s Nebraska, it’s an unforgettable creation.
Grown Up Love begins with “Different Woman,” opening on bright colors riding a deliciously eccentric rhythm akin to Paul Simon as blatting horns and glowing harmonies accentuate Bostick’s winsome vocals, imbuing the lyrics with unique quixotic flavors.
Highlights include “The Diagnosis” riding sidestick percussion along with a rolling bassline. Tender and passionate, Bostick’s vocals infuse the lyrics with melancholy tinted by intense questioning aromas. A personal favorite, “Under The Palmetto Moon” features velvety textures of alt-country topped by Bostick’s rich tones. The feel and flow of the song is exquisitely attractive, accented by a drawling steel guitar.
“Like Old People Do” rolls out on a low-slung, glittering acoustic guitar as Bostick’s warm, gentle voice imbues the lyrics with sensitive savors of absolute, quiet love, reflected in the lyrics: “We’ll gaze out across the deep blue ocean / Just taking in the view / Holding hands, not a word spoken / Just like old people do.”
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Wafting on creamy suffusions of luscious steel guitars, the last track, “Seems Like Only Yesterday,” trembles with the sublime feeling of true love as Bostick looks back on the passage of time, a passage during which his love has only grown stronger.
Grown Up Love is a beautiful gem of an album, rife with wistful colors, the sensation of human love, and poignant lyricism.
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