“These Two Windows” is Alec Benjamin’s debut album with Warner Music Studio. The album was released on May 29 and features several songs written and performed by Benjamin over the past year with the debut release of his new song “Match in the Rain.” The album reached #75 on Billboard 200 in the U.S. and #52 in the UK Albums Chart. “These Two Windows” centers around topics of mental health and problems in life.
The album starts with “Mind is A Prison,” the perfect song for anyone who may be going through a time where they feel lost or confused. This song was part of Benjamin’s processing and coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder. According to Benjamin, “I overthink everything and so I wanted to make a song about it. And I’m always trying to sort of get out of my own head. I have OCD so I’m always going over and over and over things and sometimes I need to just not be like that. And it’s hard. So, I made a song about it and I thought, if I put it out in the universe, maybe I’d find some other people who felt the same way and maybe we could all find some comfort in knowing that there are other people out there who do the same thing.”
According to Benjamin, he wrote this song as a metaphor for not letting his own intrusive thoughts control him by comparing it to a jailbreak.
The next two songs on the album, “Demons” and “Oh My God” follow the same theme of talking about mental health and the importance of having a good support system. “Demons” uses great symbolism for anxiety and stress and “Oh My God” talks about losing yourself and forgetting who you are. “Demons” also stresses the importance of having a support system with the line in the chorus “you’re the reason. The only thing that keeps me from diving off the deep end.” However, “Oh My God” takes a different look, showing the lack of the aforementioned support system by saying “it’s too late to turn around” and “no one here to hold me now.” This song highlights feelings of loneliness and desolation, showcasing what it is like to feel like you have no one to turn to.
Overall, “These Two Windows” features amazing slow-paced songs that anyone going through any kind of hard times can relate to. I know that I am going to be playing this album on repeat for the next few months, just like I did when the singles came out.
