Hubbell Benson emerged from Trenton, NJ in late 2022 as an extension of the home-studio reclusiveness of brothers Charlie and Sam Guarino. The psych rock/power pop project splits all duties equally; vocal, songwriting, instrumental, production, mixing, cooking, and cleaning.

With a reverence for the proverbial 3-minute pop single and an ear for sonic experimentation, the band balances lofty artistic pretensions and concise accessible song craft. Their brand of rock is part Zombies faux-jazziness, part early Elvis Costello bite, dipped in the vibrant production touches of MGMT.

In the studio the brothers build the recordings from the ground up starting with drums and adding layers of guitar, keyboard, and ear candy sound effect overdubs, taking advantage of analog and digital production techniques as well as live and programmed instrumentation. Live they’re joined by drummer Joe Dilapo to form a trio that rips up more raucous versions of the recorded material, extending a few centerpiece songs with psyched out jam passages.

The Bensons released a handful of singles in 2023 and are preparing the release of their first EP, the six-song Phantom Frequencies. Also on deck are the accompanying music videos for the EP songs as well as further installments of their ongoing series of instrumental audio/visual releases, Vibin’ with Hubbell Benson, directed and edited by the band. Be on the lookout.