Eric Benoit isn’t fucking around. Literally or metaphorically.

With the January 26th release of his sophomore album, Heartrender, he tears into sex, love, and the body, laughing at the absurdity of it all just to keep from breaking apart. Telling the story of a ruinous, short-lived relationship, the album documents his attempt to come to terms with sexual trauma.

Benoit’s musical project began in the summer of 2014 with his live debut as Artist of the Month at The Bitter End Singer-Songwriter Series (NYC). Two years later, he released his debut album, College. Never shy about approaching difficult topics, he told a story of self-harm, a peer’s suicide, and the mental toll of dealing with the unique stresses of the American college campus.

Across Heartrender’s seven slow-burning tracks, Benoit takes a leap forward with a newly energized sound. While maintaining the immersive cinematic style of his debut LP, he draws new inspiration from a wide range of styles, including experimental dance music, indie folk-rock, and alternative singer-songwriter.

“Fucking is a disease / Procreation is incest,” goes the chorus of lead single “Dragonflies.” The album may not be for the faint-hearted, but the pain of a relationship gone wrong swings universal. There is a Heartrender in all of us.