Clara Benin embraces the quiet power of ‘muscle memory,’ her first 2026 single

After staging a two-night concert honoring the tenth anniversary of her well-received records, Human Eyes and Riverchild, Clara Benin marks the start of 2026 with the release of her new single, ‘muscle memory,’ out today via Sony Music Entertainment.

Eschewing the pressures of virality in favor of pure, authentic storytelling, “muscle memory” packs a punch in its quiet moments and restraint. The song deals with the lingering presence of lost love: how someone you try so hard to avoid continues to linger in your thoughts, habits, and little reflexes long after the heartbreak.

As Benin sums it up, “Like muscle memory, some people stay with you without you choosing to remember.”

She adds, “I liked the idea of muscle memory and started thinking about how it feels a lot like heartbreak — how your body and mind remember someone even when you’re trying to move on.”

According to Clara Benin, the song was conceived on a random night, with her sketching out a chorus on her guitar. Months later, during a songwriting session with the DEL Brothers in Sydney, she shared a voice note containing the early version. The song quickly took shape and was completed in four hours.

The ‘small town’ singer-songwriter will release her new song, “the one to blame,” next month in anticipation of her upcoming EP, slated for release later this year. “Most of the songs I’ve written live in heartbreak, longing, or existential spirals, but ‘the one to blame’ is me finally writing about actually letting someone in,” Benin shares. “It’s warm, cozy, a little dramatic, a little obsessive, and very self-aware.”

To mark the live debut of the new song, Clara Benin will perform “the one to blame” at the Valentine’s Day show at Eastwood City on February 14, 2026.

“Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I want to make it extra special and perform ‘the one to blame’ live for the very first time,” says Benin. “I’m excited to share this love song with everyone.”