BENEE’ LATEST SINGLE “UNDERWATER” IS MAKING A SPLASH

words by Kate South

Alt-pop artist BENEE releases her latest single “Underwater” ahead of her long-awaited celestial sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles

After hyperpop came crashing into the mainstream with Charli XCX’s brat, the appetite for experimental pop has continued to grow well into 2025. On the hunt for your next alt-pop fix? Enter BENEE, a Los Angeles–based, New Zealand–born singer, songwriter, and producer who has just released “Underwater,” the latest track from her forthcoming sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, out November 7th on Republic Records.

BENEE is a multi-Platinum artist who blends dreamy melodies, experimental production, creative storytelling, and larger-than-life visuals to build an irresistibly unique world of her own. She emerged as a global phenomenon in 2020 with her Double-Platinum smash hit “Supalonely,” featuring Gus Dapperton—solidifying BENEE as one of pop’s most distinctive voices while defining bedroom pop during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral success of the song set the stage for her critically acclaimed debut album Hey u x, which featured collaborations with Grimes, Lily Allen, and Flo Milli. Beyond amassing billions of streams, BENEE has earned over a dozen Platinum and Gold certifications across the globe, sold out headline shows, and toured with superstars such as Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, and Wallows.

The newly released “Underwater” is the latest single from BENEE’s long-awaited sophomore album, following the previously released tracks “Cinnamon,” “Off The Rails,” “Animal,” and “Sad Boiii.” Written and recorded over the past three years, Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles features BENEE’s signature blend of creative storytelling and vulnerable lyricism set to genre-bending sounds and production. The songs on the album trace BENEE’s journey of making sense of the world through music—absorbing the chaos and confusion of everyday life and transforming it into addictive alternative pop.

On “Underwater,” BENEE juxtaposes airy, hyperpop-inspired beats with honest admissions about the overwhelming feelings of anxiety as she candidly sings, “My head is underwater, a puddle full of my tears. I could make a river, wouldn’t even matter.” The water metaphor reflects the suffocating sensation of drowning when you’re at your lowest. Offering insight into the meaning behind the track, BENEE shares, “I wrote ‘Underwater’ about that disconnect between how effortless you seem and how heavy you really feel. I think a lot of people will recognize themselves in that.”

Exploring the concept of the project as a whole, BENEE explains, “Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is a deep dive into existential dread, where love, identity, and meaning slip through your fingers like sand. Each song grapples with the weight of existence—feeling too small in a world too big, questioning whether connection is real or just another fleeting illusion.” The celestial imagery of the album’s cover art and title furthers this feeling of insignificance through the contrast of a mere particle faced with a heavenly body. She continues, “There’s a restless urgency here—a longing to escape, yet nowhere to run—as the lines blur between self-destruction and survival, euphoria and emptiness. The songs unravel like diary entries, tracing the cycles of obsession, heartbreak, and fleeting ecstasy, all while wrestling with our inner demons and the fear of disappearing into the noise. It’s an album for the sleepless, the overthinkers, those staring into the void and wondering if it’s staring back.”

To celebrate the album’s release, BENEE will perform an intimate headline show at Los Angeles’ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on November 7th, debuting new songs from the album for the very first time.

Stay tuned for more music and news from BENEE this fall—this candid, genre-defying alt-pop album is not one to miss.

Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is out November 7th.

photo credit Jorge Rico