Music Review: Benjamin William Hastings (self-titled LP)
Music Review: Benjamin William Hastings (self-titled LP)
17 January 2023
Born in Northern Ireland, Benjamin William Hastings spent more than a decade in Sydney with Hillsong Church before relocating to Los Angeles for his solo music career.
If the name Benjamin William Hastings seems vaguely familiar to you, there’s good reason. The 31-year-old musician from Northern Ireland spent 10 years in Sydney as a member of Hillsong Worship and Hillsong United, contributing songs like ‘Seasons’, ‘So Will I (100 X Billion)’ and ‘Highlands (Song of Ascent)’.
Hastings’ works with Hillsong have earned him a Grammy and a place on stages worldwide, so it seems natural he would easily slip into the Christian Music Industry as a solo artist.
A worship record would be a fail-safe option for the Belfast-raised songwriter, but he has taken the plunge and released a 25-track, self-titled anthology of acoustic, thoughtful ballads and anthems. And instead of keeping it to a series of crowd-pleasing, relatively shallow bops about the goodness of God, he has set a new course for Christian music, daring to broach the subjects of doubt, deconstruction, marriage, parenthood and betrayal by the Church in his songs.
The artistry of Hastings is unquestionable. The poeticism of his lyrics, mixed with the intuitive connection between his voice and the musical arrangement, mark him as a unique artist. And fans of Ben Howard and Vance Joy will gravitate towards the depth and style of his work.
Don’t think you will grow bored over the course of this album. Each track has been meticulously placed, whether it runs for four minutes or 30 seconds. It displays Hastings’ journey from existential crisis to a redefined faith. And for that reason alone, you should listen at least once to this record front to back.
But what makes this record stand out – and why it was my favourite album of 2022 – is the way he broaches taboo topics, challenging us to bring them to God in all our vulnerability.
In ‘Dancing With My Shadow’, he discovers that he has depression and discusses what this means when he is commoditised as a Christian celebrity. In ‘Cathedrals of the Nethergrove’, he overtly discloses how the fallout of Hillsong Church last year impacted him, and we see him ask hard questions about his faith, career and community. And in ‘The Jesus That I Know’, we observe a young man throwing away the wineskins of old religion and allowing God to reconstruct a new framework for faith and spirituality.
This album is an important moment in Christian music and the American Evangelical church, pushing beyond the marketable and radio-friendly bops so listeners can go on their own journey of questioning God. Somehow, Hastings has created a safe space for people with questions, church hurt and pain to meet with God through his music. This album is exceptional – don’t miss it.
Streaming now on all good music platforms.
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