Donny Benét
Mr Experience
Album · Alternative · 2020
There’s a lot to love about Donny Benét’s kitschy, nostalgic music, crafted with retro synths, an ’80s sheen and a whole lotta heart. Beneath the shiny keys and disco rhythms on the Australian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer’s fifth album, Mr Experience, lies honesty and humanity. On “Moving Up”, he celebrates the little wins that come with growing into yourself over time—“It’s looking up for me in my life,” he sings. Dark dance track “One Night in Paradise” depicts a midnight rendezvous: “The smell of our scent, the moment of delight/One night is all it takes, one night in paradise.” “You Don’t Need Love” is a bouncy self-love manifesto, while closer “Waterfall (Love Scene)”, the only instrumental on the album, is sprawling and psychedelic.