BENEE Is Ready To Move On in Her “Green Honda”
Thalia Eyles
23-year-old New Zealander, BENEE, is back since her 2022 EP Lychee with the explosive electro-pop single “Green Honda”—and she’s not stopping there.
Photo by Tyler Kohloff
“Green Honda” is the angsty, cathartic “fuck you” song everyone needs after a bitter breakup once they’ve finally moved on. BENEE sings everything you wish you could yell at someone who has done you wrong. It’s “knowing where you’re at and what you need to say and not being afraid,” says BENEE.
This percussive, dynamic track pulls no punches, coming in hard right off the bat with the lyric “that was a waste of fucking time,” accompanied by a pounding drum and bouncy bass lick. Living in a hyper-pop adjacent world, BENEE wrote the earworm with Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser, describing the process as “refreshing” and “intuitive.”
That joyful energy is evident in the track, despite its biting lyrics, and bleeds into the saturated world of the music video. BENEE and friends spirit around a junkyard in their colorful alt-y2k reminiscent outfits while the video alternates between stunning, bright contemporary shots and a camcorder style.
In discussing the lore behind the song, BENEE revealed that “Green Honda” wasn’t chosen just because it sounds cool, but that “[her] green honda was [her] first car,” passed down from her grandmother. Moreover, this isn’t the first time her green honda has been referenced in her music, the car, affectionately named “Steve,” is featured on the cover of her EP entitled STELLA & STEVE.
The world should definitely keep an eye out for BENEE in 2023, a year that could be very big for the young artist. Not only has more new music been promised in the near future, but she has been confirmed for her debut Coachella performance this spring!
