The War on Drugs Keyboardist Robbie Bennett Announces Two New Solo Albums, Shares Lead Singles

Robbie Bennett, best known as the atmospheric keyboardist for the acclaimed indie-rock band The War on Drugs, has announced the upcoming release of two brand-new solo albums before the close of the year. Both records, titled Steloken and Circulation, are scheduled to arrive on December 11 via the independent record label American Dreams. Together, the twin releases will expand Bennett’s growing solo catalog by a substantial 29 new tracks, offering listeners an expansive journey into his distinct sonic world.

To mark the announcement, Bennett shared a preview of what is to come from both collections, releasing one song from each album. Fans can now stream "Sister," drawn from the tracklist of Steloken, alongside "The Light on Your Face," which serves as a preview for Circulation. These twin singles offer an immediate window into the meticulous craftsmanship and ambient soundscapes that define Bennett’s solo output.

The upcoming double-release serves as a follow-up to Bennett’s 2020 solo debut, Permanent World, a project that established his identity outside of his duties with The War on Drugs. For these new albums, Bennett approached his creative process with a unique technical setup, developing each individual track using the very same keyboard he plays on stage and in the studio with his main band. However, rather than relying on traditional recording methods alone, he engineered an intricate setup by sending MIDI data from an acoustic player piano directly into an Oberheim OB-X8 synthesizer. This clever configuration allowed both instruments to perform simultaneously, creating a rich, interlocking dialogue of notes and textures.

To build upon this foundation, Bennett layered the recordings with additional vintage and modern instrumentation. The arrangements prominently feature the warm, classic tones of a Fender Rhodes electric piano, processed vocals through a vocoder, and the Soma Terra—a sophisticated, polyphonic microtonal synthesizer equipped with a gyroscope and pressure-sensitive sensors. The resulting music is designed to evoke a specific sense of spatial wandering and auditory discovery.

Describing the intended atmosphere of the records in accompanying press materials, Bennett noted his desire to immerse the listener in an evolving sonic landscape. "I want the music to be like you’re walking through an unfamiliar place you want to keep exploring and never have to circle back to where you started," Bennett mused. This exploratory ethos is reflected in the sprawling tracklists of both albums, which refuse to adhere to conventional pop structures, instead favoring immersive, ambient-leaning instrumental and textural compositions.

The dual album announcements arrive during a busy period for Bennett and his primary bandmates. Just last month, Bennett was featured on "Who’s That," which marked the first new piece of original music from The War on Drugs since 2022. While the band has not issued a brand-new studio LP since their critically lauded 2021 full-length, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, they have remained active on multiple fronts. Earlier in 2024, the group treated fans to their second career live album, aptly titled Live Drugs Again, capturing the powerhouse energy of their celebrated touring performances.

Steloken features a lengthy 17-track sequence that highlights the breadth of Bennett’s compositional approach. The full tracklist for the album opens with "Radii," followed by "Serendipity," "Air Signals," and "Sea-Level Horizon." As the journey continues, the album moves through "System of Warmth, Collection of Jackets," "Snowfell," "Darkness in Bloom," and the previously shared lead single, "Sister." The second half of the record includes "Moonframe," "Footprints in the Ash," "Horse to Lead," "Lattun," and "Dragging out the Cans." The sequence concludes with "Ascent," "Cathedral," "Purgatory," and the concluding piece, "A Love Song / Universal Interface."

Meanwhile, the companion album Circulation offers a more compact yet equally detailed 12-track journey. The album kicks off with "Breathing Glass," proceeding through "Panthalassa," "Norrland Night Train," and "Vermiculite." The middle section features "Change the Clocks (DST)," "Phantom Signal," "CACC (Hope)," and "ISO Dream." The final stretch of the record includes "MN3009," the newly released preview track "The Light on Your Face," and "Vivere!", before coming to a close with the atmospheric final track, "December."

Both Steloken and Circulation will be released on digital and physical formats via American Dreams on December 11, giving music enthusiasts plenty of intricate, synthesizer-driven material to explore as the year draws to a close.