Ben Kweller releases new album 'Cover The Mirrors' honoring late son on his 19th birthday
Austin-based musician Ben Kweller released a new album Friday titled "Cover The Mirrors," his first full release since the sudden passing of his 16-year-old son Dorian Zev in 2023. The 12-song project came out on what would've been Dorian's 19th birthday.
Kweller's son Dorian Zev Kweller, who released music under the name ZEV, died on February 27, 2023 in a freak car accident. According to his obituary, the 16-year-old swerved to the side of a road near his home to avoid an oncoming vehicle. While parked on the shoulder, a tree limb weakened by a recent freeze collapsed and crashed through the window of his car, killing him instantly. After his death, the Dorian Zev Kweller Memorial Skatepark was dedicated to honor the youth, whose two passions were music and skateboarding.
More: Through music, 'I am going on.' Ben Kweller remembers son Dorian in emotional ACL Fest set
While the album's title "Cover The Mirrors" refers to a Jewish funeral practice, the work isn't just about the loss of Dorian, but also the decades of Kweller's life preceding the tragedy. He previously covered vocals and guitar in the '90s band Radish and later part of a trio called The Bens. With elements of loss and love woven throughout, the new album is about "living on."
'It's a full circle type of album,' Kweller said in a press release. 'There's a lot of reflecting — not only reflecting on the loss of Dorian. I'm also taking an inventory of everything else. My whole time on Earth. Everything I've created as an artist.'
The new project features a collaboration with Waxahatchee on the song "Dollar Store," MJ Lenderman on "Oh Dorian" and the Flaming Lips on "Killer Bee," a song dedicated to the late artist Nell Smith.
According to a press release, Kweller's desire to kindle the gift of music that he shared with his late son, who was on the precipice of his dreams when the accident occurred, flared brighter after Zev's death. Ten years before the accident, Kweller took a hiatus from his career after his entire family almost died of a carbon monoxide leak. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter said that he made the decision not to lock himself away in a closet this time around and instead use music as a tool to carry on.
Kweller's resilience tracks. Not even a month after Dorian's death, he went on the play a showcase for his independent music collective Noise Company at the South by Southwest Music Festival, a show where his son was supposed to make his festival debut, playing the opening slot. Kweller said that going on tour with Ed Sheeran in 2023 acted as a "kind of balm against the grief." During the tour, he said it felt like his Dorian was onstage singing with him.
'It wasn't like I set out to say, 'OK, I'm gonna make this album about going through grief and loss.' But there was no way around it,' Kweller said. 'This is just another chapter of me trying to heal and just get through what I've been going through. My music is always very autobiographical."
Kweller equates his life to the catalog of songs that he writes. "Cover the Mirrors" is about grieving but also moving on for Kweller, who carries the memory of his son palpably in his music.
You can stream the new album on Spotify and purchase it on CD and vinyl at benkweller.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ben Kweller pays tribute to late son in new album 'Cover The Mirrors'
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