Aside from the thrill of seeing one of my posts go viral (which almost never happens), my biggest joy about having a music blog is writing about music I really love. And boy, am I in love with the stunning debut single “Here We Go” by two young artists from Portsmouth, England: Ben Priory and Charlie Pereira. What’s especially astonishing about the quality of the song and vocals is that they’re both only 17 years old!

Ben and Charlie started making music together at the age of 12, when they’d have drum battles in Ben’s bedroom. Ben wrote the music for “Here We Go” last September (2018), then recorded all the instruments, including synths, piano, bass and drums. Charlie wrote the lyrics, and recorded the vocals over two sessions, the first in December 2018, and the second in February 2019. Ben produced and mixed the song, then sent the track to Peter Maher (U2, The 1975, Snow Patrol, Katy Perry) for mastering.

The song is perfection from start to finish. It opens with night sounds of crickets and waves crashing on a distant beach, setting a rather pensive mood. Then a somber piano riff, accompanied by finger snaps and bass, enter the mix as Charlie softly sings with an air of sadness in his voice of the hurt and disappointment someone’s caused him:

So I’ve been sitting here for the longest time
And it’s just not fine with me
But what you’ve done
And how you thing it’s all fun
But it just can’t run
You made that sacrifice
And I had to pay the price
For you to do what you do but it makes me blue
And you don’t even have a clue

Suddenly, the tone shifts in the chorus to a joyful, upbeat vibe with the addition of lush, shimmery synths, guitar and a bouncy bass drum beat. Charlie’s vocals are now more ardent and hopeful as he sings of the pleasures of making music, providing an escape from the sadness he was feeling earlier, and perhaps giving the relationship another go:

So here we go now
Hearing our soft sound
Hear the bass drum pound
But we don’t know til we will hit the ground
But hear the bass line flow
It’s faster yeah, never slow
Let’s do the show
Here we go, here we go, here we go

Yeah let’s take it back
Listen to the sweet guitar
It’s not a competition you’re my superstar
Just go for a drive
Let’s get away
We can take my car

Ben and Charlie have created a beautiful song that’s the perfect summer tune. I’m quite impressed by the quality and maturity of their sound, especially given their youth, and hope to hear more music from these guys very soon!

Connect with Ben:  Facebook / Instagram
Purchase “Here We Go” on iTunes