Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with Ben Rankin

Marking a new chapter in his musical journey, Ben Rankin's 'In Memoriam' is a heartfelt tribute to his past work while embracing a fresh start. With a focus on crafting catchy choruses and incorporating 7-string guitars in tracks like 'Parasite' and 'Crown of Thorns', Ben pushes the boundaries of his sound. Recorded in his home studio, this album showcases Ben's DIY approach and commitment to authenticity. As he bids farewell to his previous albums, 'In Memoriam' stands out as a testament to Ben's growth as an artist. This fifth studio album is a testament to Ben's dedication to his craft and promises to resonate with listeners on a profound level.

Interview with Ben Rankin

(^)> What does In Memoriam represent in your musical journey?

This album is me farewelling all of the albums and the EPs that I’ve released up until this point. I was asking myself a lot in 2025, “What now?” Because it would have been so easy to return to old tricks and do an album that way. But this time around, I wanted to think differently. So to me, this album represents a fresh start; shedding my skin and starting a new chapter.

(^)> How did saying goodbye to past work shape this album?

I feel like it was actually the opposite and it was actually the songs I was writing that shaped the core messaging of the album. Once I had songs like Save Your Tears, A Societal Collapse and Crown of Thorns, etc. it came to me that these songs were all sounding radically different compared to what I’ve made before. My brain then got to work really quickly and came up with the idea that I can farewell all of my past work.

(^)> What inspired the heavier sound and use of 7-string guitars?

You always want to make the next thing better than the last. For me, that meant going heavier and more technical. There are riffs on this album that I never would have even thought to write a year ago, like Save Your Tears and A Societal Collapse. As far as the 7-string aspect was concerned, I was leant a 7-string guitar around 6 months ago and had the instrumental for 2 full songs written and recorded in 2 days. This was the album where I really wanted to make a statement in the music, which meant doing things I’ve never done before. I had barely even touched a 7-string before making this album, let alone written a song with one.

(^)> Which track feels like the biggest evolution for you?

That would probably be Rewind. It was the first song that I had written collaboratively with other people from start to finish, it’s a song that features Machine on a Break, another local Canberra artist. I’ve collaborated with people before. For example, on my last album, Welcome To My House, there’s a song called Agoraphobic that features Stella Eve, another very talented Canberra artist. However, that was a song that had already been written and I asked her to just do some guest vocals. With Rewind, it was collaborative from beginning to end. It was also the song that I think has the biggest evolution in the production, I used more electronic sounds that really fit with not only our influences, but the sound that the song was asking for with the more quiet moments.

(^)> How did recording in your home studio influence the final sound?

I feel like I get my best performance when I’m in a room by myself and I’m just letting it all out. It’s different when I’m recording a demo because I can just think of ideas on the fly with other people, then I can go into my studio and really flesh those ideas out.

(^)> What message do you want listeners to take from Save Your Tears?

With that song in particular being about breaking free from manipulation and societal pressures, whether it be from social media or in the real world, it’s so easy to be caught up in the whirlwind of all that mess. I’ve done it, I’m not perfect, but it’s okay to just be your own person with your own opinions. And if that pisses a few people off, then so be it.

(^)> How do you balance metal intensity with pop sensibilities?

I’ve been making music since 2018 and all the stuff I’d release for the first 4-5 years was acoustic music. It’s also not a secret to those who know me that I love Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi. It’s easy to bag on them and I get it, but I personally think that they are incredible songwriters. They were big influences for me early on because they can use either these grand-sweeping metaphors or they can go straight to the point and you know exactly what they’re singing about. When I started making heavier music, I still wanted to keep those 2 in the back of my mind. I think I best displayed that Welcome To My House back in 2024. That album did have it’s heavier moments but then there was these bare-boned ballads, particularly a song called “Can’t Keep Holding On” which was inspired by “How I’m Feeling Now” by Lewis Capaldi.

(^)> Which emotion drove the songwriting process most strongly?

Pretty much anger. A Societal Collapse and Crown of Thorns were very direct towards the people that they’re about; no metaphors, just pure “this is how I feel about you and I mean every word” type of mentality. Then with songs like Parasite and even None In a Million I feel are more subtle but still pretty aggressive.

(^)> How do themes of anxiety and mental health shape your lyrics?

I believe that every person on this planet will suffer some sort of trial or tribulation that just takes over their lives for a period of time. I like to put my own experiences into my songs because it’s become more therapeutic. This may sound selfish but I write songs for me and if other people enjoy it, that’s awesome.

(^)> What makes this album different from Welcome To My House?

I still love Welcome To My House to this day, but I think that In Memoriam sounds more like a “professional” album to me. On Welcome To My House, I was still figuring things out and learning that not every song has to be this grandiose 6-minute epic. Welcome To My House was a very important album to make for me because so much had happened in the two years that it took me to make that record. It was raw, it was unfiltered and I still think that it’s the darkest, most personal thing I’ve released, but it needed to happen, otherwise I think I would have lost my mind. The mentality going into that album was, “I need to write everything that is on my mind and I don’t care how long these songs are.” Moving on to writing In Memoriam was more, “okay, we’re a little bit better, so let’s try have a little bit more fun with this.”

(^)> Which song was the most challenging to create and why?

That most definitely goes to None In a Million. That song is so different because it’s bordering on pop-punk territory. I’ve listened to bands like Green Day, Blink-182 and Good Charlotte for my whole life but I never tried writing a song in that style before. It was also challenging because when I mapped out the album structure, you know, balancing out heavy, then upbeat, then emotional songs, I was really in a stalemate with a song that didn’t make the cut. Do I stick with this song that isn’t really going anywhere and feels like a throwaway or do I just write another new song from scratch? So when I started messing around with ideas for what eventually became None In a Million, that’s when it clicked. It kind of coincided with Do You Believe In an Afterlife which was also more of an upbeat one so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have another one of those songs on the album.

(^)> How does being independent impact your creative freedom?

One of the reasons that I love being independent is that I have total control over everything I do. When I’m working on my own songs, I produce and mix everything, there’s no one else’s opinion I listen to but my own because at the end of the day, my name’s on it. If we haven’t figured out, I’m a bit selfish when it comes to the music I make. I’ll show some ideas to people and if they like it, they like it, if they don’t, they don’t. But I like it, and that should be all that matters.

(^)> What do you hope longtime listeners notice about your growth?

Hopefully they can see how much the quality in everything has improved. Everything from the production, to the mix, to the songwriting, to the songs themselves. Everything has slowly but surely improved since the start of 2020, and even since Welcome To My House, I can see the improvement in quality and I hope that others see that as well.

(^)> Which track would you recommend as the best entry point?

I have two answers to this: if we’re talking about my entire catalogue, it would have to go to either Save Your Tears or a song off my last EP called All Is Well In Hell. Those songs really encompass what to expect when you listen to my music, everything from screaming, to catchy choruses, breakdowns and guitar solos. From In Memoriam specifically, I deliberately put Voices as the album opener since for the most part, it encapsulates what the rest of the album sounds like. So, in that regard, people should definitely listen to Voices first.

(^)> After In Memoriam, where do you see your sound heading next?

I have absolutely no idea! But I think that’s the beauty of it; not knowing what will come next. I like to plan things pretty well in advanced but after Welcome To My House, I had no clue what the next thing was going to be. I’ll most likely take a break for a while and just let In Memoriam sit with people before I even think about writing anything. My friends have been telling me about this weird thing called, “going outside”, which is something I’ve never done before. So, I might give that a go, could be fun!

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Ben Rankin on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist