LVL UP alumnus Dave Benton released Lost In The Country, his latest album under the name Trace Mountains, just last year. And today, he’s already announcing a new album called HOUSE OF CONFUSION, which was written and recorded during the pandemic. “I was used to waking up early for my warehouse job, so when I got laid off, I just kept up that schedule and implemented another daily regimen focused on improving my guitar playing and writing songs,” Benton explains.

“I just started writing songs about that feeling we all have, of suddenly waking up to a brief moment of clear-headedness, like ‘Oh wow, HOW did we get here?'” Benton continues. “I started thinking about that a lot and just approached the feeling from different points of view and different voices that felt relatable to me. A lot of that led back to images of the road.”

Today, Benton is sharing lead single “AMERICA,” which he describes as “a road song written from a place of disillusionment & desperation. My guitarist Jim Hill created this video inspired in equal parts by Easy Rider, Wayne’s World, & The Lord Of The Rings to mirror the themes of the song in jest. Writing & arranging this song was a real journey for us, with lots of rewrites & changes. I almost cut the song from the album at one point because it was torturing me so much! I wanted it to be real but also lighthearted & upbeat. I think Jim captured that energy perfectly in his visual interpretation of the song.”

Watch and listen below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “SEEN IT COMING”
02 “IF YOU DO”
03 “ON MY KNEES”
04 “7 ANGELS”
05 “IDK”
06 “THE MOON”
07 “LATE”
08 “AMERICA”
09 “MORNING STAR”
10 “EYES ON THE ROAD”
11 “HEART OF GOLD”

HOUSE OF CONFUSION is out 10/22 via Lame-O Records. Pre-order it here.