BEFORE YOU HEAR THE MUSIC

We didn't want every record to look the same.

We wanted them to look related.

Long before somebody presses play, they may already have encountered a piece of music.

Perhaps they've scrolled past it on Spotify. Seen it on Traxsource. Found it in a DJ's chart or been sent a link by a friend.

For a moment, before the melody, rhythm or vocal has had any opportunity to speak, there is only an image.

We wanted that moment to matter.

From the beginning, the artwork surrounding Benirrás Beach Club was intended to be more than packaging. Each record needed an identity of its own, something that reflected the mood and character of the music it represented.

But we didn't want to achieve consistency by simply repeating ourselves.

The same woman. The same setting. The same colours. The same composition.

That would create a template.

We wanted to create a world.

A world where the light could change, the mood could change, the characters could change and even the musical style could change, yet something about the image would still feel unmistakably connected to everything that came before it.

So we began building a visual language of our own.

A FAMILY RESEMBLANCE

There is a difference between recognition and repetition.

Repetition is easy. Put the logo in the same place. Use the same palette. Follow the same layout. Change the title and call it a new cover.

Recognition is harder.

Matt had always admired the artwork created by Jason Brooks for Hed Kandi. Each cover had its own personality, yet together they created a visual identity that was instantly recognisable. We didn't want to imitate that distinctive illustrated style. Benirrás Beach Club needed a world of its own: more natural, cinematic, Mediterranean and sophisticated.

But we loved the principle behind it.

We wanted to be able to place Garlands, Esperanza, Falling and the different remix artwork alongside one another and see individual pieces, each with its own personality, while sensing that somehow they all belonged to the same family.

Not identical.

Related.

That family resemblance began emerging through the details.

Mediterranean architecture. Rugged coastline. Sea and horizon. Deep navy against warm stone. Cream fabric caught by a coastal breeze. Muted gold illuminated by the last sunlight. Movement, space and changing light.

And increasingly, the human figure within that landscape.

None of those things individually defines Benirrás Beach Club.

Together, they begin to.

THE WOMAN IN THE PICTURE

The woman at the centre of much of the Benirrás Beach Club artwork isn't intended to be a single recurring character.

She changes because the music changes.

We wanted a human presence that could communicate luxury and sophistication, but never simply decorate the cover. She needed to embody something of the record itself.

Her expression matters.

Her movement matters.

Her features matter.

A brighter, more uplifting track might call for warmth, openness and movement. Something deeper or more contemplative might lead us towards a different woman, a different expression and an entirely different atmosphere.

It's less about choosing a woman for the artwork and more about casting the image for the music.

And the world around her is cast in much the same way.

There is almost an element of pathetic fallacy in the way we approach the artwork. The landscape, light and atmosphere reflect the emotional character of the track.

Golden Mediterranean sunlight can express warmth and optimism. Twilight can introduce intimacy. A darkening coastline can bring depth or sensuality. Open water and an uninterrupted horizon can give the image space to breathe.

The weather, light, landscape and colour aren't simply a backdrop.

They're part of the performance.

We aren't trying to create an image that describes what the music sounds like.

We want to create an image that feels the way the music feels.

COLOUR, LIGHT AND PLACE

The Mediterranean is unmistakably part of the Benirrás Beach Club identity.

But we never wanted to rely on the obvious.

The visual language grew instead from the things that kept feeling right: warm stone, rugged coastline, deep blues, cream, sand and muted gold. Nautical details appear naturally, but never simply to signify luxury.

The luxury should be felt rather than displayed.

Light gives us the freedom to change the mood.

Golden hour can bring warmth and optimism. Twilight can make the same world deeper and more intimate. Sometimes the horizon is bright and expansive; sometimes it almost disappears into the night.

The place remains recognisable.

The feeling changes with the music.