Heartland rock is a subgenre designed to conjure pointed imagery: roadside detritus; cornfields glimpsed from the passenger window; vast, cloudless skies. Dave Benton, LVL UP member and the man behind indie-folk project Trace Mountains, manages to pack all of that into just one song. “In A Dream,” the opening track of Trace Mountains’ latest album, Into The Burning Blue, follows a pensive narrator who ponders their place in the world, gazing into strangers’ windows on a nocturnal bike ride.
Whereas most heartland rock tells some version of fiction, Into The Burning Blue is largely autobiographical, grappling with the end of Benton’s eight-year relationship. Change is a recurring theme here, lyrically and sonically. Benton, alongside engineer Craig Hendrix, toys with big-budget ‘80s signifiers like synths and drum machines to complement his stylistic shift. Despite the novelty, Benton sounds right at home.
Following the record’s release last month, Benton sat down with Uproxx to talk about Nina Simone, getting his first tattoo recently, his knack for crocheting, and more in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Dreamy, reflective, natural, wobbly.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Welp, hopefully I’ll still be alive because I’d only be 59 years old but hopefully my friends and I will remember playing music together, making the albums, traveling and laughing together. I can’t really begin to think of what the music would mean to someone outside of my personal life, I just hope it’s all good memories for the people who were involved.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Might be my friend Liam Betson AKA Liam The Younger. I admired him early on and learned something from his music about the power of simple words and how to offer a kind of emotional connection through music that is very direct. I think I’ve carried that with me a long time.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Trad Room in Brooklyn. The dish is this real simple, lightly seared salmon over rice. So good! My best friend Ben brought me there and then I took my partner on our first date.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Broadcast in 2009! They were incredible. Played with noise and projections to open the set for 20 minutes and then crushed the hits back to back for like an hour.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
Nina Simone – “Why? (The King of Love is Dead)”
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Florists in Alhambra, CA
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
I remember it very well, but we’re not gonna get into that right now…
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
I honestly don’t play favorites with cities, but I’d love to perform in Tokyo one day.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Be good to your friends and reach out to them often.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
I can crochet pretty well.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
Feels like beating a dead horse, and maybe hope is lost at this point, but if I had that kind of money I’d probably donate it to environmental organizations who are combating the climate crisis.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
I don’t really think about AI music that much to be honest! I have fun with the videos where they make Hank Hill and Spongebob sing Nickelback and System of a Down.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Okayyyy… We’re going with middle of the summer, swelteringly hot Shea Stadium in Brooklyn with Ovlov, Little Big League, Saintseneca, Slight Of and Yowler. Pretty sure I’ve played that show before but I know it’s guaranteed to be a good time.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
I like seeing the work of @hakuaki.potter on Instagram. They make these beautiful and hilarious ceramic cats that make me smile.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I got my first tattoo really recently! A little running horse and also a blue flower to commemorate this new album, actually.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Pee before it’s too late?
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Sandy Cheeks lol
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
Oooh! I’d love to explore the South Pacific & New Zealand, hiking, biking, swimming and journaling with my partner.
What is your biggest fear?
I am not fond of bugs and I’m working on it but I’d say I’m still pretty afraid of them.
Into The Burning Blue is available now via Lame-O Records. Find more information here.