''The Bens'' ( EP) is the only release by the trio,

The Bens The Bens were a rock supergroup consisting of the trio, Ben Folds, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee, which toured for "the Bens Rock Over Australia tour" in 2003. History Kweller described how the trio formed, "Well actually our fans noticed that we ...

, consisting of

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

Ben Kweller Benjamin Lev Kweller (born June 16, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A former member of Radish, Kweller has released six solo albums and appeared on several collaborations. Early life Ben Kweller was born in Sa ...

and Ben Lee, for the Bens Rock Over Australia tour from 14 to 28 March 2003. It had been recorded in Nashville with the three members producing. The 3,500 original pressings were only available at their early concerts but quickly sold out. Months later it was re-released on Internet stores. The lead track, "Just Pretend", was listed at number 52 in the

Triple J Hottest 100, 2003 The 2003 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 25 January 2004, was the eleventh such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 40 (not ne ...

, a radio listeners' poll.

Reception

Jasper "Jaz" Lee of Oz Music Project opined that ''The Bens'' "songs have an inkling of different styles, each with a particular leaning...

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

are three great artists, each of different levels of maturity in their fields, and differing in the genre of their pursuits. Yet, apart from their mutual first names there seems to be a good connection between them that was witnessed both on stage and on this EP."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's MacKenzie Wilson rated the EP at three-out-of-five stars and felt that "This little four-track gem is strictly for die-hard followers. Those who enjoy Kweller and Lee as artists should also enjoy the quirky pop selection. Folds is somewhat of a father figure to the younger Bens, and together their harmonies are matchless. Each comprises a dash of humor and innocence."

Track listing

All tracks were written and produced by The Bens:

and Ben Lee. #"Just Pretend" – 3:07 #"Xfire" – 4:00 #"Stop!" – 2:59 #"Bruised" – 4:40

Personnel

;The Bens *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

synthesiser A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

– vocals, guitar, drums, producer * Ben Lee – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, producer ;Production * Greg Calbi – mastering * Marc Chevalier –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

* Leon Overtoom – mastering * Frally Hynes – photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bens (EP), The 2003 debut EPs The Bens EPs Bertelsmann Music Group EPs Albums produced by Ben Folds