Album Review: This Chaotic Sea

This Chaotic Sea is the debut solo album from songwriter, producer, music teacher, and hard-rocking performer Ben Ruegg. His name is very well known in the live music and rock scenes of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, particularly as the frontman for his four-piece act, Channeled.

No doubt the past three to four years have been challenging for everyone, and Ben would probably tell you himself quite candidly of his own struggles as of late. The album title This Chaotic Sea appears to reflect the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs of life. Ben himself has said that this record was born in the aftermath of several major personal crises, namely a health condition as well as the loss of his father. Metaphor aside, considering how unpredictable the open ocean can be, I don’t doubt other unforeseen events took place too!

Ben himself was generous enough to send me an advance copy of his latest work – That’s right, a physical copy in the humble form of a compact disc. When was the last time you held a CD booklet to peruse its lyrics, liner notes and content? The cover art is unique and colourful, and in the booklet there were photographs taken at the This Chaotic Sea release show, which I was sadly not able to attend. In any case (pun intended), this album in its physical form does feel pretty special and reminded me of yester-decade when I still poured over album artwork and appendices written by the band or artist. Ah, the good old days.

The album kicks off with a sonically soaring and lyrically frank opener, Encounter. Ben’s stadium-sized vocals shine bright and really releases the emotional power of the lyrics. The oceanic theme is not disguised in any way, as exemplified in the chorus line:

“I don’t know what you call this,

But man, it feels so real.

I slip into the abyss,

And it just swallows me.”

There is significant heft in the densely layered sound, possibly most so in the atmospheric guitars and Ben’s singing, and coupled with some muscly rhythms, plunges all listeners into the vastness.

Ben’s phrasing of lyrics is masterful, accentuating the swagger of the namesake track This Chaotic Sea. This track could go down as one of Ben’s most important blue-rock piece, as his soul-tinged vocals soar, the grooving guitars and drums power along, then out of nowhere, a cyclonic guitar solo shows up, sweep all off their feet and send listeners overboard. What a genuinely thrilling piece of music.

In a showcase of talent from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Ben invited fellow rockers Lost Vessels to collaborate on Run and Hide, brimming with beautifully sweet vocal harmonies and introspective lyrics. Eileen, Lost Vessels’ lead vocalist, together with Ben’s singing intermingle perfectly, painting a warmth reminiscent of sunsets at your favourite beach. Interestingly, this easy-going vibe is contrasted with the seemingly more serious topic of confronting life’s difficulties head-on. In no way is this a bad thing, as this adds to the album’s lyrical depth and musical uniqueness.

Speaking of collaborations, on Becoming Strangers, Ben invited country singer Jenni Smith to share the vocal spotlight. As one could probably guess, this was a number illustrating two people falling out of love with each other. As cheesy as it sounds, and as much as I hate to admit this, I had to pause the song partway to have a moment to myself as my heartstrings were tugged hard. Yanked hard, in fact! The two singing voices eventually culminates in a conversational back-and-forth, which gave the dramatic effect of two people openly sharing their thoughts. Alas, there was no sense of reconciliation, as the song faded out to an abrupt ending. Then again, this sea is a chaotic one; things can change in an instant.

There is again some very self-reflectional poetry on display here on the sombre Again and Again, as well as the acoustic rendition of Inside The Light, an original by Ben’s primary project, Channeled. And on the topic of personal songwriting, All I Need is an unabashed dedication to Ben’s newfound religious faith, which he has remarked on and how it has helped guide him through his turbulent past few years. Ben states:

“It’s like falling in love all over again,

I am thankful to the angels, they sent you here to me,

I know I’m in love, because you are all I need.”

For the song Final Days, Ben recruited his sibling Jessica Cole for another collaborative vocal effort. Which is the perfect choice, considering the song, which I’m all but completely certain, is about Ben’s father and his passing. Hearts are worn openly on sleeves for this deeply personal musical eulogy, as the composer speaks openly about his emotions and personal wishes of living “one more day”. You don’t get much more straight-from-the-heart than this.

Upon hearing the 3/3-timing and ever-so-slightly experimental feel of Walking In The Morning, I found myself puzzled as to why it sounded so familiar, as though I had heard it before. And indeed, I actually had. Man, February 2024 felt like ages ago.

Although, after repeat listens, it became clear how much Ben’s songwriting skills and production capabilities have increased over the sixteen months since his Ben Ruegg EP had been released. I see this as a great testament to how Ben has devoted time and energy to hone his skills. If one was to divide this record into three acts, the first would be the freshly energized, amphitheatre-sized anthems, the second being more from-the-heart acoustic act, and the third as a revisit of where he started from. It truly is astounding hearing the leaps in improvement.

Make no mistake, this is a highly personal release. There are no songs about partying or driving along a beach in Whangamata; these are music and words channeled directly from the hands and heart of Ben Ruegg, and it sure sounds like he’s been wanting to tell these snippets of stories from his life for some time.

He’s not showing signs of letting up musically, and I’m sure he’ll tell you himself he’s got way more songs to sing and way more stories to tell.

Listen to This Chaotic Sea on Spotify, or get a physical copy of his album through Instagram or Facebook.