‘A Million Miles Out’, Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s debut EP will be released on October 25th through Dirty Hit. Produced by Ian Grimble (Mumford & Sons Manic Street Preachers, Siouxsie & The Banshees), it will be followed by a full length in March 2011.
With influences including Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Kate Bush, Ryan Adams, Sigur Ros and Bruce Springsteen, his floaty, melancholic vocals and deft finger-picking lie somewhere between Jose Gonzales and Iron and Wine.
Written whilst in the secluded countryside of Southern France, the four tracks on ‘A Million Miles Out’ have a sense of hopefulness.
The delicacy of EP opener ‘Atlas Hands’ is a case in point, with its refrain: “I’ve got a plan. I’ve got an atlas in my hands. I’m gonna turn. When I listen to the lessons that I’ve learned.” The stunningly subtle ‘More than Letters’ – which is featured on the ‘Communion Compilation’ (the label from Mumford & Sons and Cherbourg) – also showcases Leftwich’s talents at their most powerful.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
A Million Miles Out
Label: Dirty Hit
Release Date: October 25th 2010
Format: Digital EP
Benjamin Francis Leftwich Live:
13th October – The Forum, Sheffield
14th October – Louisana, Bristol
15th October – School of Art & Design, Cardiff
18th October – Slaughtered Lamb, London
20th October – King Tuts, Glasgow
21st October – Fibbers, York
22nd October – Jericho Tavern, Oxford
www.myspace.com/benjaminfrancisleftwich