SPILL FEATURE: THE PROGRAM – A CONVERSATION WITH BRKN LOVE’S JUSTIN BENLOLO

THE PROGRAM

A CONVERSATION WITH BRKN LOVE’S JUSTIN BENLOLO

BRKN LOVE remains an excitingly impressive up and coming rock band. Since 2020, the band has released a pair of full-length albums – 2020’s BRKN LOVE and 2022’s Black Box – while carving out a distinct sound. Now, the modern alt-rock outfit has returned with their third album, The Program on March 28^th, via Spinefarm Records.

“I think I was always trying to make a record like this, but I didn’t know if it would be perceived the right way” Benlolo tells me. Writing for The Program started in early 2024, shortly after the previous album cycle had wrapped up. Benlolo reflects, “I’d written a song pretty shortly after that, that was supposed to be for somebody else. That song was called “Diamonds”. I remember, I was doing it, we wrote it together, and I was composing the whole thing, making the demo, and I was listening to it and I was like ‘damn, this is a pretty good song’. It ended up working out, I ended up keeping the song, and it set the tone for the whole record.” The song is a dark, almost brooding, alternative rocker accented by a fuzzy, rhythmic riff, featuring an anthem of a chorus, very much reflecting the tone for the rest of The Program. Needing a change of pace, Benlolo then took a trip to Charleston, SC. While he’d bring enough gear to write and record some demos, he did not intend to make what would become the next album from BRKN LOVE. “The environment was very inspiring… I got to do a destination record without even meaning to do it. I didn’t even realise I was writing what was to become The Program while I was doing it” Benlolo tells me. He continues, expanding on how Charleston inspired a shift in the sound for the album, “There was a lot more pop influence on this one. There was a lot more R&B, funk and disco – we were going out to these disco bars and partying to basically funk… I wasn’t doing my usual bunch of Sabbath, Zeppelin, and Soundgarden, instead we were listening almost exclusively to Prince, Michael Jackson, Dua Lipa, and The Weeknd.”

THE PROGRAM ALBUM REVIEW

“It was really cool to commit to a conscious change… Your third record has to be a little bit of a departure” Benlolo states. Despite welcoming in new influences to the mix, The Program is distinctively that of BRKN LOVE. Benlolo explains, “I remember on our last record, Black Box, when we’d written “Like A Drug”, I was so nervous about it. It was so poppy, I was like ‘is this what we do? Is this us?’ Low and behold, it becomes our biggest original single to date. I feel like I got too precious about things and put the band in a box.” He continues, “It doesn’t really matter anymore. I’ve gained that perspective as I’ve gotten older; whereas, when I was younger, I was a little more dead set in my beliefs and staying true to myself in that sense, but really it was because I was worried how other people will perceive me. I’ve come to the conclusion that what makes it BRKN LOVE is because I’m singing on it, we’re playing on it.”

The result is an anthemic album, a strong collection of excellently produced songs that highlights Benlolo’s voice as a songwriter and the performative power of the band. The 12-track record is full of highlights, with Benlolo citing “Unholy” as one of his favourites – “It was like something we’d never done before, like NSYNC meets Black Sabbath” – along with “Rear View Mirror”, adding “The emotional weight of it is very heavy, lyrically. It’s very epic, for lack of a better word. I LOVE that it’s a shuffle.” He goes on to name “12 Wings”, for its Tame Impala and Arctic Monkeys vibe, and “Cruel” for its ambition in the writing. All in all, through expanding their sonic pallet, BRKN LOVE have emerged with an absolutely killer record that demonstrates a greater level of versatility to the band. Ultimately, The Program should be seen as an elevating step forward for BRKN LOVE as they continue to raise the bar for modern alternative rock.

Listen to the full, unabridged conversation, including Benlolo’s approach to songwriting, his thoughts on genre bending, working with Queens Of The Stone Age’s Michael Shuman, and his Desert Island Records, on Episode 42 of Beats By Ger on Spotify and YouTube.

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Photo Credit: Tommy Krause