BENEE on Finding Genius in ‘King of the Hill’

In between preparation for her new album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, out Nov. 7, and keeping that Pink Pantheress collab under wraps, BENEE still finds time to play Catan with her friends. 

But even while the “Supalonely” artist chats with ShelfMAG over Zoom about the role-playing game, resurrecting Doechii’s “Spookie Coochie” for her Halloweekend DJ set, and her love for “strange, wack, hilarious, and terrifying” films, she’s not afraid to get existential with her literary picks. Tap in to find out everything keeping BENEE entertained. 

Essentials by Erika de Casier

“I think she is such a cool artist. Her melodies and her voice stand out to me. It's just so soothing and sexy and cool. I love listening to her music — it's a great vibe anywhere you go.” 

“DEATH COMES FROM THE SKY” by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

“I love Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and this is a standout on their latest EP, which speaks to me. It's so beautiful and so sad. I love the instrumentation on all their songs. The whole EP is really good, but I just think the concept of death comes from the skies — I've never heard that before. I think it might be a sign of the times. It feels pretty existential, and that is a big theme in my album, so maybe that's why I'm so drawn to it — I have been asking those really big questions lately.”

King of the Hill

“I remember first trying to watch it a year or so ago, and I was not getting it. I was like, ‘This is so redneck.’ But now I'm like, ‘This is genius!’ It's so freaking funny. I watch it with my boyfriend, and we’re just laughing because it's so silly and entertaining.”

Weapons

“I love Weapons. It's so freaking weird. I think that when a film or a series is so wack that you can't even guess what it's about — when you're kind of laughing and then you're equally terrified. I think that's genius.”

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

“I'm not a huge reader because I am pretty dyslexic, but this was one I read recently-ish, where I found myself so fixated on finishing it, which is unlike me. I found myself so lost in the ideas he was talking about. And it is just brief answers to big questions. I think it is probably just my frontal lobe developing fully now that I'm 25, but I'm like, ‘What are we doing on this rock? What is out there, you know?’ And I think it was really nice to read the perspective of a scientist. I love hearing what scientists have to say, or anyone who's studied something for a long, long time.”

Catan

“Catan is on my list because I'm obsessed. I've been playing it with a bunch of friends, and it's such a nerdy game, but it's so addicting. When I bring people over who haven't played it, they get pretty hooked. It builds community. It's a good vibe.”

Curious about what else BENEE is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/beneemusic