London-based blues, Americana and rock singer-songwriter BEN HEMMING is inviting listeners into a world of darkness, desperation and troubled souls with his five-track EP, Dark Days.
Released in 2026, the project continues Hemming’s fascination with the darker side of the human experience.
Think sinners, false prophets, devils and damaged men.
Add weathered vocals, atmospheric guitar work and stark lyrical imagery, and you’ve got the ingredients for a particularly intriguing collection of contemporary blues.
But this isn’t simply about revisiting the musical traditions of the American South.
Hemming has spent years developing a distinctive artistic identity, combining traditional blues storytelling with alternative rock influences and a darker, more cinematic approach to songwriting.
And with Dark Days, he’s continuing that journey.
Five songs. Eighteen minutes. And a whole lot of darkness. 🖤🎸
🌑 ‘Dark Days’ – Five Songs From The Darker Side Of Life
Dark Days brings together five original compositions exploring the shadowy territory that has become central to Hemming’s musical identity.
The EP is built around blues, Americana and rock, with an emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling.
According to Hemming’s introduction to the release, its musical landscape is populated by sinners, false prophets, devils and damaged men.
It’s imagery that fits naturally within the long history of blues music.
For generations, blues musicians have explored themes of temptation, hardship, redemption, isolation and personal struggle.
The devil himself has become one of the genre’s most enduring symbols.
But Hemming’s approach brings those traditions into a contemporary setting.
Rather than presenting the blues as a museum piece, he draws upon its storytelling foundations while incorporating influences from alternative rock and modern Americana.
The result is an artistic direction that places emotional expression at the centre of the music.
🎵 The Complete ‘Dark Days’ Tracklist
The EP features five songs, with a total running time of approximately 18 minutes.
Track
Title
Duration
1
Dark Days
3:27
2
The Path
3:35
3
Another Life
3:31
4
Failures Of A Fool
4:32
5
Musings of My Mind
3:33
The title track establishes the identity of the release, while the remaining song titles suggest a collection concerned with choices, reflection, failure and the possibility of different lives.
Without attributing specific lyrical meanings that Hemming hasn’t confirmed, those titles certainly fit the darker narrative described in the EP’s announcement.
🎸 The Musicians Behind ‘Dark Days’
Although Ben Hemming is the songwriter and central performer, Dark Days also features experienced musicians.
The recording credits are:
Ben Hemming: Vocals, guitar, songwriting and performance
Stefan Redtenbacher: Bass
Mike Sturgis: Drums
James Welsh: Production and mixing
The EP was produced and mixed by James Welsh at Masterlink Productions in Woking, Surrey.
The inclusion of a dedicated rhythm section gives Hemming a musical foundation around which to develop his guitar work and vocal storytelling.
And with all five songs written by Hemming, the release remains firmly rooted in his personal artistic vision.
🇬🇧 From London To The American South
Ben Hemming’s relationship with blues music has an interesting backstory.
According to his official biography, his musical journey developed during a difficult period in his personal life.
Feeling dissatisfied with his circumstances, he decided to travel across America.
It was a journey that would eventually transform his musical direction.
Travelling through the southern states, Hemming immersed himself in the cultural traditions that helped shape blues music.
He acquired a guitar and began performing while exploring the region’s musical heritage.
One particularly memorable experience occurred in Nashville, where he encountered a street musician performing with a homemade one-string instrument while simultaneously playing percussion.
For Hemming, the encounter became an important moment of inspiration.
It demonstrated that musical expression didn’t necessarily depend upon expensive equipment or elaborate arrangements.
Sometimes the most powerful performances came from simplicity, authenticity and personal experience.
He eventually returned to London with a collection of songs written during his travels.
Those compositions became the foundation of his debut album, Broken Man.
🎤 A Voice Built For Dark Storytelling
One of the defining characteristics of Hemming’s music is his vocal delivery.
His work has frequently been described in terms of its rawness, emotional weight and world-weary character.
And those qualities are particularly well suited to the darker themes associated with Dark Days.
Blues music has always placed enormous importance on the relationship between a singer and the story being told.
A technically polished vocal performance isn’t necessarily the most emotionally effective.
Sometimes a rough edge communicates more.
Sometimes restraint is more powerful than volume.
And sometimes the imperfections are precisely what make a performance believable.
Hemming’s established approach draws upon that tradition.
His weathered vocal style and stark lyrical imagery are central to the identity of this latest project.
🖤 Gothic Americana – Where Blues Meets Darkness
Hemming has previously described his music using the term gothic Americana.
It’s a fitting description of an artistic approach that brings together traditional roots music and darker contemporary themes.
Americana itself is a broad musical category, incorporating influences from folk, country, blues, gospel and rock.
Gothic Americana takes those foundations into more unsettling territory.
The songs often explore outsiders, troubled characters, spiritual conflict and the consequences of difficult decisions.
The imagery can be stark.
The arrangements can be sparse.
And the storytelling frequently focuses on people struggling against circumstances beyond their control.
For Hemming, those themes have been a recurring feature throughout his career.
And Dark Days appears to continue that fascination with the human condition.
🔥 From ‘Broken Man’ To ‘Dark Days’
Hemming has developed an extensive independent discography since releasing his debut album, Broken Man, in 2015.
His subsequent releases include:
- City of Streets (2017)
- The Devil Beside Me (2019)
- Broken Road (2020)
- Marked Man (2022)
- Resurrection (2023)
- Darkness Before Dawn (2024)
- The Meaning Of All Things (2025)
Across those releases, Hemming has continued exploring blues, alternative rock and Americana through his own songwriting.
His catalogue demonstrates a consistent interest in subjects including isolation, personal struggle, identity and redemption.
And rather than abandoning those ideas, Dark Days develops them through another collection of original songs.
📰 Recognition From The Blues Music Press
Hemming’s work has attracted attention from several established publications.
Blues Blast Magazine previously described his music as:
“Songs of bleak beauty.”
It’s a phrase that captures the contrast between the darkness of his songwriting and the emotional qualities of his music.
The Blues Magazine also recognised Hemming’s distinctive approach, describing him as having:
“A unique musical identity.”
Meanwhile, Americana UK has associated his work with the emergence of a new approach to blues music.
That recognition reflects the way Hemming draws upon traditional influences while developing a sound that doesn’t sit comfortably within one narrow category.
His music can be blues.
It can be Americana.
It can incorporate alternative rock.
And often, those influences overlap.
🎚️ Independent Music With A Personal Identity
One of the most appealing aspects of Hemming’s career is his commitment to developing music around his own experiences and artistic interests.
He’s not an artist whose identity can easily be reduced to one familiar genre.
His songwriting draws upon the storytelling traditions of blues.
His arrangements incorporate Americana and rock.
And his lyrical themes frequently explore subjects that are uncomfortable, complicated or emotionally challenging.
That combination gives his work a distinctive place within the independent music landscape.
For listeners who appreciate darker singer-songwriters and atmospheric roots music, Dark Days offers another opportunity to discover his catalogue.
🎸 The Riff Report Says…
We love discovering independent musicians who aren’t afraid to explore the darker side of songwriting.
And Ben Hemming certainly fits that description.
There’s something wonderfully compelling about the combination of blues, Americana and gothic storytelling.
The genre has always been full of fascinating characters.
Sinners.
Outcasts.
Travellers.
People trying to escape their past.
And people desperately searching for some kind of redemption.
Those themes are timeless.
And Hemming’s Dark Days brings them into another contemporary collection of songs.
What particularly interests us is the musical background behind the project.
His journey through the American South, his long-standing commitment to blues music and his willingness to incorporate alternative rock influences all contribute to an intriguing artistic identity.
The involvement of Stefan Redtenbacher, Mike Sturgis and producer James Welsh also gives the EP an established recording team.
We’re treating this as a release feature rather than a scored listening review, so we’re not going to invent descriptions of individual guitar solos, vocal performances or production details we haven’t independently assessed.
But the confirmed tracklist, recording credits and the artist’s history provide plenty of reasons to investigate.
If your musical tastes lean towards atmospheric blues, dark Americana and singer-songwriters with something to say, Ben Hemming deserves a place on your discovery list.
Five tracks of gothic Americana, troubled characters and dark storytelling.
Sometimes the most interesting music comes from exploring the shadows.
And Ben Hemming is certainly no stranger to the darkness! 🌑🎸🔥
💿 EP Release Details
Artist: Ben Hemming
EP: Dark Days
Year: 2026
Genre: Blues / Americana / Alternative Rock / Gothic Americana
Number Of Tracks: Five
Running Time: Approximately 18 Minutes
Songwriter: Ben Hemming
Vocals And Guitar: Ben Hemming
Bass: Stefan Redtenbacher
Drums: Mike Sturgis
Producer And Mixing Engineer: James Welsh
Recording Studio: Masterlink Productions, Woking, Surrey
Official Website: https://www.benhemming.co.uk/
Listen To / Purchase Dark Days: https://benhemming.bandcamp.com/album/dark-days
🎸 The Riff Report – Supporting rock, metal and the glorious racket in between.
