Ben Kweller confronts loss and resilience with ‘Depression’ featuring Coconut Records
Ben Kweller has released ‘Depression,’ the latest single from his upcoming album Cover The Mirrors, arriving May 30 via The Noise Company. The deeply personal track, featuring Coconut Records’ Jason Schwartzman, is Kweller’s most direct expression of grief following the tragic passing of his son, Dorian Zev, in 2023.
Built around the pre-set sounds of a keytar Kweller has had since childhood, ‘Depression’ unfolds as a synth-driven, slinky collaboration that captures the weight of sorrow and the search for escape. The song leans into its title with unfiltered honesty, reflecting Kweller’s raw emotional state through both its lyrics and its shifting, unpredictable structure. The track starts with a steady groove but takes a sharp turn at the end, mirroring the disorienting nature of grief.
Kweller says of the track:
“When Dorian died in the crash I went into a spiral. Nothing was real. All of these new songs speak of my grief journey but none cut as deep as ‘Depression.’ I’m not hiding the ball here. I mean, it’s called ‘Depression.’ It’s right on the nose, which I guess is very ‘Ben Kweller’ of me, just to be straight the fuck up about it. I like how the song goes to this other place at the end and doesn’t return. It says what most of us feel when we’re at our lowest. It does it all up front and then takes a sharp turn. That’s me whenever I’m crushed and can’t get out of bed, I’m just looking for the sharp turn to something good.”
Schwartzman, who has long admired Kweller, shared his enthusiasm for working together:
“To me, BK is one of the finest songwriters we got. His music means a lot to me and my family. Above all else, his friendship means a ton to me. This song has got a great groove. I love the way it’s arranged, the instrumentation. It’s simple yet deceptively complex, and I think the way he sums up this feeling is at least for me pretty spot on.”
‘Depression’ is available now on all streaming platforms, and tickets for Cover The Mirrors tour are on sale. For more information, visit Ben Kweller’s official website.
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