BENEE, one of pop’s most versatile acts, returns with one of the genre’s best albums of the year with Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles.
Release date: November 7, 2025 | Republic Records | Website | Instagram
Normally, when someone’s approaching a decade into their music career, it should be pretty easy to describe what their sound and style is. I wouldn’t really be able to do that with BENEE. BENEE initially rode the wave of labels and blogs hunting for the next Billie Eilish, and while she avoided getting trapped in that box, she also never really broke out of it with her own style and sound. Years later, and even though there’s been some collaborations with some big artists like Grimes (washed by then, but still), Kenny Beats, Joji, and Gus Davenport on the Covid anthem “Supaloney”, which is her biggest song by a mile, but still no definitive sound. And after giving Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles a listen, I still couldn’t tell you what it is exactly. I can say that she’s immaculate at chameleoning herself into the artist that fits the track best and drawing the best results possible out of it.
Some of her initial Billie influenced sound returns on “Demons”. The breathier vocals, especially on the chorus, sound great, and it’s actually an improvement on some of her earlier efforts. If I told you “Sad Boii” was a Lily Allen track, you’d believe me. Allen is one of BENEE’s bigger influences, so the bouncy instrumental and somewhat posh delivery is done in reverence, but it’s still a little much here. This wasn’t one of my favorite songs. This may sound surprising considering this is a white New Zealand pop artist, but “Animal” is heavily influenced by some of Migos‘ work. She starts each verse in a very familiar flow and even does her own little mimic of ‘rain drop/drop top’ to kick the track off. It’s got an incredible flow to it, especially as she unspools the flow and morphs back into a pop song towards the hook.
While I’m pretty against copyright law being used to limit artistic creativity, I do think the Pixies need to start fighting back at least a little. “Doomsday” is like the fourth song I’ve heard this year rip “Where Is My Mind?”. Obviously, “Doomsday” sounds good, and it works because it’s a cheat code. I know the chords themselves can’t be protected, but people are getting real blatant with it. The boring, rich, blond woman’s “Actually Romantic” is one of the most glaring rip-offs I’ve heard, but her cult would probably drone strike anyone that sued, so she’ll get away with it.
It’s a bit more normal for an artist to merge sound and style with a featured artist, and even though “Princess” is a decent song, it’s completely a PinkPantheress track. With the feature not being listed, the autotune and overdone vocal effects are a bit jarring at first, until you get to the inspiration of the track. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of hers. Mileage may vary. The handful of more individualistic moments also work well, and the quality never really drops at any point of Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles. “Off The Rails” is a fun, bouncy, and somewhat glitchy quick track that gets in, gives you a great hook, and moves on. BENEE normally thrives on more energetic tracks, so it’s a bit surprising how strong of a song “Chainmail” is. Starting off with the faint acoustic hook was a great touch, and BENEE delivers one of her better performances as a writer on the song.
BENEE may not develop her own signature sound, but if she’s this good at paying homage and borrowing from her favorites, maybe she doesn’t need one. The influences are incredibly clear, and while Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles doesn’t fit the description of what a quality album sounds like, it doesn’t stop it from becoming one. It’s a very fun album with a lot of energetic, fun tracks, and considering how bland much of the pop landscape has been this year, that makes it close to a must-listen.
