Alec Benjamin lures his audience to pull up a chair and possibly a tissue or two in his latest acoustic ballad, "I Sent My Therapist To Therapy." On December 29, 2023, a stripped-down version of his inherently emotional record lays bare his openness, surrounded by the heartfelt honesty that epitomizes Benjamin's signature.
Following his single "Different Kind of Beautiful" in October, and in the wake of his 2022 effort, the release marks Benjamin's move into an even more bottomless well of introspective artistry. Co-written with Jordi Peleg and Itay Shimoni, and produced by Peleg, the acoustic take reads like a whispered conversation between old friends or maybe between patient and therapist, with the lines of who is who beautifully blurred. From the very beginning, Benjamin's voice is gently strummed, cutting through like a sigh in a quiet room, tender, translucent, and unafraid. The lyrics paint a portrait of emotional exhaustion, as well as self-awareness, as one grapples with the complex dance of needing help and trying to offer it, even when one's cup is half-empty. It's a feeling a lot of us can disarmingly relate to.
Sharing this song is my last sort of therapy, Benjamin wrote. It ties together the two most therapeutic aspects of my life, music and treatment. Listening to this song will bring as much catharsis for anyone who needs it as writing it did for me.