Biography
At the core of avant-garde composer John Bence's output across multiple releases sits an unwavering commitment to raw emotional conveyance, irrespective of the stylistic directions each project takes. His initial recordings fused brooding chamber textures with forceful vocal eruptions, yet he pared everything back to solitary piano on the austere, introspective 2020 album Love. Archangels followed in 2023 with comparable restraint, threading electronics, field recordings, and orchestral elements through its shadowy, densely textured atmosphere.
Born in Bristol, England, Bence was raised amid a strongly musical household. He immersed himself early in the city's electronic scene, allowing his broad range of influences to shape the pieces he began composing. Issued on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label, the 2015 EP Disquiet contained three tracks built from haunting vocalizations set against restless modern classical frameworks. Bence pursued a darker trajectory with 2018's Kill, shifting from the wary, inquisitive tone of Disquiet toward agitated and unpredictable structures.
References to addiction and substance struggles recurred throughout his work, and the decision to achieve sobriety in 2018 shaped the album that came next. Released on Thrill Jockey, Love consisted of spare, introspective solo piano pieces written and captured during the early stages of recovery. Bence returned with Archangels in 2023, again through Thrill Jockey, extending his measured minimal approach while drawing on a broader instrumental range than before. Its unhurried soundscapes merged piano, synthesizers, vocal chants, orchestral swells, and bursts of noise.
Born in Bristol, England, Bence was raised amid a strongly musical household. He immersed himself early in the city's electronic scene, allowing his broad range of influences to shape the pieces he began composing. Issued on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label, the 2015 EP Disquiet contained three tracks built from haunting vocalizations set against restless modern classical frameworks. Bence pursued a darker trajectory with 2018's Kill, shifting from the wary, inquisitive tone of Disquiet toward agitated and unpredictable structures.
References to addiction and substance struggles recurred throughout his work, and the decision to achieve sobriety in 2018 shaped the album that came next. Released on Thrill Jockey, Love consisted of spare, introspective solo piano pieces written and captured during the early stages of recovery. Bence returned with Archangels in 2023, again through Thrill Jockey, extending his measured minimal approach while drawing on a broader instrumental range than before. Its unhurried soundscapes merged piano, synthesizers, vocal chants, orchestral swells, and bursts of noise.
Albums
Singles
