Anthem Collective Singer-Songwriter Spotlight

Where in the World is Ben Howard?

The British sing-songwriter known for the quality of his lyrics and folk music has taken a nearly three yearlong break since his last album release in 2014. Ben Howard, the 29 year old from Devon, England released his third album on October 26, 2014 where it went straight to number 26 on the UK Official Albums Chart. He did a short tour in the United States the following year with folk band Daughter before he disappeared from the music scene.

While this may seem out of the ordinary, Howard has never been a huge fan of the spotlight. He is known to rarely give interviews, photo-shoots and when he does he admits he can be at times irritable and standoff-ish. In one of those rare interviews given to the Evening Standard magazine, Howard said, “I meet a lot of people who are awkward around me now. I was always embarrassed about that; the more attention I got, the less I wanted it and the more it would manifest in a physical way and I would be hunched over about it.”

However, the length of his break and his lack of social media presence has fans wondering if or when he will be back. His Facebook, which the last post was from June 7, 2016 is flooded with messages from fans asking, “Please release something! We’re missing you!” and fans posting photos and videos of them covering his songs. His Twitter and Instagram share the similar comments.

Howard’s time out of the spotlight has not slowed down the love of his music, for fans are constantly listening to his older albums, adding the song “Only Love” to their playlists and even getting lyrics from his songs tattooed on their bodies.

It seems that if some have forgotten about Ben Howard and his music, his fans are willing to keep the music alive and will hold out hope for the day he releases a song, or single, or just a simple message to the world saying, “I’m back”.

Ben Howard's Official Facebook

Ben Howard's Twitter

Ben Howard Fan Twitter Account

The Best of Ben Howard

What Doesn’t Kill You: In Captivating New Krief Single “All Is Lost” Former Dears’ Member Patrick Krief Fights to Move On from Recent Traumas

On Krief’s new single “All Is Lost,”it’s apparent that recent death and heartache have left an indelible mark on the mindset and music of Montreal’s Patrick Krief. However, with lyrics such as “When all is lost, all is found,” it is also clear that the resilient Krief is intent on moving forward in life and in love.

Following a devastating string of deaths in his life and the end of a romance, Krief poured all the heartbreak, grief, and despair into the twenty songs that make upAutomanic Red and Automanic Blue, his unconventional and heart-wrenching diary of a double album forthcoming on September 30th.

According to Krief, the lyrics to “All Is Lost” discuss “being held back by the past and the struggle and importance of moving forward.” Poetic and universal lyrics like those in “All Is Lost” blend with dreamy  soundscapes and carefully crafted balladry to give Krief his distinct sound.

‘automanic’ is a double album comprised of ‘automanic red’ and ‘automanic blue’, which Krief describes as "autonomous in their flow, yet not meant to be listened to in one sitting." Creativity healed adversity and inspired Krief to write poetic lyrics, both earnest and abstract, paired against sounds of contemporary pop and rock, atop dreamy soundscapes and rock ballads alike.


Similarly to his previous albums, Krief created ‘automanic’ independently, playing all guitars, bass, drums, percussion, piano and keyboards. He also recorded, produced and mixed the album between Studio Mixart in Montreal and Studio Bottega, on an alpaca farm in Kelowna, B.C. Mastering duties were undertaken by Phil Demetro (Kevin Drew, Hey Rosetta) in Toronto and engineer David Schiffman (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Nine Inch Nails) monitored the Montreal sessions, the album also features long-time collaborator Roberto Piccioni.

Krief has spent much of the past decade writing, touring, and recording with Montreal’s original orchestral rock-noir band, The Dears. He describes the distinctly different vibes of Automanic as Thursday night and Sunday morning: “Automanic Red is Thursday night, the reckless, kick-off to the weekend, whereas Automanic Blue is Sunday morning, with its moments of sober reflection, grappling with reality, and recognizing mortality.”

To learn more about Krief, visit his social media: FACEBOOK| TWITTER| INSTAGRAM