Renowned, award-winning electronic music artist Ben Böhmer announces his first new studio album in three years, Bloom. The news comes alongside a brand new single, “Best Life,” featuring JONAH, and an announcement of an 8-stop run of live shows through the UK and Europe this fall. Bloom is set for release on September 27 via Ninja Tune.
Coming off a record-breaking world tour in support of his previous album, during which he sold out all dates months in advance, Ben Böhmer made a point to take time to himself and return to the space that compels him the most: his studio.
It’s there that he’s able to truly channel his passion for spontaneous creativity and relentlessly focus on honing a craft that allows him to express deep, complex feelings. He tackled grief on his breakthrough debut album, Breathing, and separation on its follow-up, 2021’s Begin Again.
The success of those records, almost 1 billion streams and counting, and his ability to connect with audiences in a live setting—he played over 200 shows in 2022—propelled him down a track that felt at odds with what he wanted.
Despite the accolades and sell-out events, he was being pulled in a direction that was not him. Bloom is a reset, a confident reassertion of his own desires and more improvisational origins. In Bloom, we hear and feel Ben‘s growth, the joyful pursuit of newness that pulls him back to the studio day after day, season after season.
Ben embraces his imperfect journey thus far on the forthcoming album’s first single, “Best Life,” featuring Berlin-based singer-songwriter duo JONAH.
“Life is short and fast,” JONAH remarks on the track. “You try, you fail, and sometimes we lose a special person along the way who is irreplaceable, but the memories stay with us, shaping who we are. ‘Best Life’ is all about that rollercoaster ride of trying, failing, and a reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest.”
Sonically, “Best Life” is a bold step in a new direction for Böhmer, who is intent on growing out of the pre-fabricated boxes he’s been placed in. Böhmer’s songwriting and composing talents extend to the foreground on Bloom alongside revered artists like indie royalty Lykke Li, alt-pop duo Oh Wonder, Enfant Sauvage (of the French duo The Blaze), and more. The album features a swathe of styles and tempos that earlier tracks in his career feel like breadcrumbs to.
In support of the new album announcement, Böhmer has announced a run of live shows this fall across the UK and Europe, including stops at Alexandra Palace in London, Albert Hall in Manchester, Adidas Arena in Paris, The Palladium in Cologne, and several other large-scale venues.
These dates will follow his upcoming performances at major music festivals like Sonar, Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, and Portola, in addition to his direct support performances for ODESZA at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, and Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Ben‘s music and live performances have earned him widespread acclaim from fans and tastemakers alike. In 2023, he completed the biggest-ever North American live touring run and while reaching 3 million monthly Spotify listeners. His Cercle set has surpassed 32 million views and is now one of the top 10 most viewed electronic music sets of all time on YouTube.
He’s shared festival stage bills with the likes of Caribou, Four Tet, Bicep, Jamie xx, and Amelie Lens, and in 2022, launched Portraet, his four-night residency at the open-air Ibiza club Cova Santa, enlisting Barry Can’t Swim, HAAi, Sofia Kourtesis and more to play alongside him.
Listen to “Best Life” ft. JONAH below!
Bloom Tracklist
1. Martin
2. Hiding (feat. Lykke Li)
3. Best Life (feat. JONAH)
4. Memory Cassettes
5. Beautiful (feat. Malou)
6. Faithless (feat. Erin LeCount)
7. Rust
8. Evermore (feat. Enfant Sauvage)
9. Rain (feat. Max Milner)
10. The Sun (feat. Oh Wonder)
11. Blossoms
