Ben Chace Talks New Single, Debut EP and More

Ben Chace, the American musician and filmmaker now based in Paris, releases his contemplative new single ‘Stories from The Everyday’ on 10th September 2025 via Belgian French indie label Capitane Records. With his debut EP ‘Homecooking’ scheduled for November 2025, it seemed like the perfect time to find out more:

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

 

My memory is terrible, but I know my first cassette tape was Michael Jackson Thriller, and my first CD was Fine Young Cannibals. I must have been about 6 or 7 at the time. I also had a tape of The Bangles, with the songs Manic Monday and Walk Like and Egyptian in heavy rotation. My mom was really into music and she would put Talking Heads or Paul Simon’s Graceland for my siblings and I before bedtime and we’d dance around the living room in our pyjamas to get our energy out.

 

When did you begin songwriting?

I’ve been writing poems since I was young. I picked up guitar at 10 probably a few bad songs around then, and I got more serious about it in high school when I formed my first band at around 14 or 15.

 

You have your debut EP ‘Homecooking’ released in November 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?

The concept for the EP came up in conversation with my co-producer Nicolas Michaux. We’ve actually already finished a full length LP and the label’s distributor thought would be a good idea to release something short to prime the pump for the streaming platforms. So we decided to knock out something quickly. It was really satisfying honestly to write and record a record in a month or two, as opposed to the slow roasting of this full length which has been going on for a couple years now. I had already had a great time working with the Rodriguez Vangama, an absolute killer musician from Kinshasa who is living in Belgium now, so I wrote a bunch of songs with his skill set in mind, inspired by a lot of music I love from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.

 

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

We did it at Capitane Records studio The Freehouse in the middle of Parc Woluwe in Brussels. A magical place.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Nicolas Michaux and I have worked on several records together now, as co-producers, and it’s always the same, always a real pleasure, normally involves a couple short days and some very late nights trying to pack it all in. Their studio is very DIY and I’m usually the chef cooking late night dinners for the musicians.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Rodriguez did most of the playing on this one. He’s a real gunslinger, so I mostly just get out of the way once he starts tracking. It’s amazing the ideas that he will bring to a song. He’s like a landscape painter, able to orchestrate a full arrangement in his head after one listen to a song. I had brought a Nylon string classical guitar to record my parts and sing with, so we started with that each time, but I think Nico ended up removing most of that as soon as Rod started doing his thing.

 

Which of your new EP tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

I’m happiest on the title track, a picture of the good times sharing food and drinks with the nearest and dearest chez moi.

I’m not such an angry person, but the track Pure Economics describes that lingering feeling that we’ve betrayed our own humanity in society today. A similar theme is tackled with more humor in the track Late Capitalism Ska.

The first single Stories from the Everyday is probably the most reflective, it was the first song I wrote for this record, and had a longer gestation.

 

Who were the musicians who were on the EP with you?

Rodriguez Vangama a real genius, from my perspective. He’s most well known for playing with Zap Mama and arranging the music for Coup Fatal a reworking Baroque music through Congolese traditional styles. But the guy has so many different arrows in his quiver, you never know what he’s going to come out with. We also had Morgan Vigilante on drums, adding some really tasty grooves. And of course Nicolas Michaux and myself, as co-producers adding little touches here and there on guitars and keys.

 

Does the EP’s title have a specific meaning/significance?

It’s about the good life, and it’s the way they record was made, with a few good friends in a comfortable place, outside the pressures and bulls*** of the commercial realm, where we can be free to enjoy and be ourselves together.

 

Was it a difficult EP to write?

Nope. It came out quick.

 

Who designed the EP artwork?

The photograph was taken by my best friend from childhood Carter Read, on a bros hiking trip through the Scottish Highlands where we both have roots. It was a wonderful trip, getting as far off the map as possible, with the time and space to get back to the basics, which is what we tried to do on this record.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Providence, Rhode Island. Quahogs, Coffee Milk, Del’s Lemonade.

 

How do you look after your voice?

I don’t really. But maybe I should.

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

We’ll get there hopefully.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Honesty and synergy with the crowd.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I keep it simple, just me and my guitar.

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Tough question. Something by Calvino. Baron in the Trees maybe, because I love and identify with the main character.

 

You have also released the single ‘Stories From The Everyday’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

The chords are very similar to an old Bahamian calypso song Curly Cay which I used to play with my old rocksteady covers group Chardonnay Sunset Singers, when I lived in NY. The world just kind of spilled out as I played through those chords on my couch, day after day. Over the course of a few weeks I just kept honing and refining it until it became what it is. Was more of a distillation process than anything else on this record.

 

Is the single accompanied by a visualiser?

Yes.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

There are many. Too many to list. I recently discovered a track called Kadia’s Blues by Orchestre de la Paillote which took my breath away. There’s always more out there.

 

What makes Ben Chace happy and what makes you unhappy?

I’m a generally happy person. Even happier when I get to play music and sing my songs.

 

 

 

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Copacetic PR

Ben Chace’s new single ‘Stories From The Everyday’ is out now via Capitane Records. 

Listen/Stream Here: https://modulor.lnk.to/StoriesFromTheEveryday

His debut EP ‘Homecooking’ is scheduled for release in November 2025.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_benchace/