Feature: Ben Rankin Decodes “Save Your Tears”
Punk Head: When you first wrote “Save Your Tears,” what was the truest emotion pushing the pen?
Ben Rankin: It was a weird one because I don’t tend to write songs when something in my life has just happened, I’ll tend to sit on it for a while and then finally conjure up the words to say after a couple of weeks. So I was writing this angry song with a smile on my face diluting myself into thinking, “Yeah, this is normal.” I was angry at first but at the same time, it was more positive because I was writing about breaking away from people that I didn’t want to be around.
Punk Head: Was there anything too raw to include in the final version?
Ben Rankin: I’m a firm believer of nothing being off-limits when it comes to making any form of art since it is so subjective. With that being said, I’m also a firm believer that what I want for a song comes second to what the song actually needs. The best example from this song was on that main breakdown, there is a prolonged scream that I initially did with incorrect technique; just going straight from my throat which you can get away with while recording but you should never do live because it’ll kill your voice before you know it. When I listened back, I felt like it sounded too rough which was an aspect that I liked but not what the song needed. So I went back and re-recorded it with proper technique which sounded way more appropriate for the song.
Punk Head: You mentioned people trying to dictate how you should feel. What helped you build confidence in your own voice and perspective again?
Ben Rankin: I guess it was just kind of realising that the only person who should dictate your decisions is you because your decisions reflect you. I didn’t really realise that until after I finished high school and I was incredibly indecisive on everything. Ultimately, I decided to trust my own instincts and be my own person.
Punk Head: When you write, are you speaking to your younger self, the person who hurt you or the listener who might be going through the same thing?
Ben Rankin: There are a lot of cases where it’s all of the above. But ultimately, I write music for myself and from my own personal experiences and if other people can relate to them or take a personal meaning out of them, then that’s a plus! There are definitely times where I write about what I wish I knew earlier and there are also other times, specifically on this new album, where I’m directly taking shots at other people; no metaphors, just saying things how it is.
Punk Head: This is your fifth studio album — how would you say Ben Rankin now differs from Ben Rankin then? What evolution are you proudest of?
Ben Rankin: This album is the definitely the most proud I’ve been with anything I’ve ever released. I would say that the person that exists now actually knows what goes into an actual song. I’ve been making music since I was 14 and had no idea what I was doing. It wasn’t until my third album in 2022 that I actually put more effort into song structure and that not every song has to be 6 minutes each. I also think that my sound has gotten increasingly better, which I know everyone says that, but the shift from even my last album from 2024, Welcome To My House has dramatically improved. I’ve learned a whole lot about songwriting, structure, how to produce and mix after releasing some really, really bad songs in my first couple of years. Seriously, if you listen to literally anything I put out pre-2022, that is far from the musician and the songwriter than I am now. As cliché as it sounds, I genuinely think that this new album contains 12 of the best songs I have ever written.
