Beautiful Things - Benson Boone

Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”
Pitchfork Score: 6.4

Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is the kind of song that sounds like it was carefully engineered to play during the end credits of a Netflix teen drama—specifically the episode where the main character finally kisses their crush, only for it to start raining in cinematic slow motion. Boone’s voice trembles with the sincerity of someone who just discovered his first heartbreak on Tumblr circa 2012, and the production swells like an Imagine Dragons B-side that got baptized in holy water.

Lyrically, Boone circles around the idea of cherishing love before it slips away, which is both touching and about as revolutionary as finding out water is wet. Every line sounds like it was workshopped by a support group for people who cried too hard at The Notebook. “Please don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got” could be poignant if it didn’t also sound like a panicked plea to a landlord.

The song itself builds toward a dramatic chorus that is supposed to soar, but mostly just floats politely, like a balloon that refuses to fully commit to either rising or popping. It’s polished, safe, and inoffensive—Spotify playlist glue for people who still write Instagram captions about “living in the moment.”

Still, Boone knows his audience, and in that lane, “Beautiful Things” works. It’s heartfelt enough to make teenagers clutch their pillows at 2 a.m., but slick enough to slide onto Top 40 radio without scaring off your mom. Is it groundbreaking? No. But if you need a soundtrack for your next PG-13 existential crisis, Boone has you covered.

Best Fit For: crying in your car after an argument where you definitely weren’t wrong.