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Influenced by many other producing giants, England’s next star SG Lewis is beginning to bud into one of the up-and-coming names to watch for in the electronic/house music world.

Samuel Graham Lewis, known as SG Lewis, started his discography all the way back in 2015 with his EP “Shivers,” slowly maturing in the industry over the years. Originally creating solo remixes, he transitioned to manufacturing tracks with standout artists Clairo, GoldLink and Ruel as soon as 2018.

Through these first few major collaborations with other future big-name talents, SG Lewis continued to grow into a confident artist, heavily relying on his voice to compliment his energetic, electronic style, working to build an extraordinary sound.

Releasing his first album “times” in 2021, he peaked at number one on the UK dance charts and 46 on the overall UK albums list, finally gaining traction in his home country. But its about time that he becomes an international household name.

On Jan. 27, Lewis dropped his second studio album titled “AudioLust & HigherLove,” his largest piece of work to date. The album introduced many of the music industry’s key members to his techno, upbeat wave.

Album rollout & overview

Listed at 15 tracks, Lewis’ “AudioLust & HigherLove” started the album’s rollout in July 2022, with the drops of “Missing You” and “Something About Your Love” both going public.

In an interview with NME in September, Lewis highlighted how the album is split into two worlds, and that “AudioLust” is the darker, ego-driven version of love. The second half of the album represents a deeper and more fulfilled version of love, according to Lewis.

These two versions of intimacy guides the listener through the euphoric rabbit hole of sounds and emotions encapsulated within the project. The slower sounds and glimmering sensations in later tracks differ from the fast-paced, house hits he places near the front of the tracklist. Deeper, loving lyrics can be heard in the second half, really showing the signs of a “fulfilled” feeling of love.

In September 2022, he dropped two more lead off singles, “Vibes Like This,” which featured R&B stars Ty Dolla $ign and Lucky Daye, and solo track “Infatuation.”

The mix between his vocals, the features and the splashes of electronic, house and pop mold the project into a journey that illustrates the contrasting ways of love. This is not just any electronic compilation filled with club hits, but rather one with storytelling and a creative glimpse at the English producer’s viewpoints towards emotion.

Not only do Ty Dolla $ign and Lucky Daye highlight the features on the tracklist, but also Tove Lo, Charlotte Day Wilson and others who stand as some superstar material for Lewis’ breakout performance.

Standout tracks

Past the intro track, the second song, “Infatuation,” which was pre-released, gives us high-pitch melodies paired over a techno guitar instrumental, tangled with intergalactic sound effects.

Across the board, he descends into the topic of lust right away, stating “all I think about is you and I, levitating, way above the clouds,” with the beat of the song creating the sensation you are above the clouds.

As he moves through the track, the topic of jealousy becomes prevalent as well, with “I’m falling down, he don’t understand the way I could,” building into the idea that Lewis is being overlooked and believes he has more potential than others in the picture.

That same interstellar sound can be traced into the following track “Holding On,” where he builds on the struggles of short love and how he “can’t stay, stay until tomorrow, I know that we should let this go.” Lewis is grasping onto the proposal of trekking along through this period, when in reality he knows that it will not last and does not want to lead his significant other on.

Passing into the second portion of the project, signaling more towards love rather than lust, “Epiphany” captures the slower-paced beat and intertwined sparkly synth sound effects that displays unhurried affection.

Despite no chorus or real verses, it is a long, calm listen spanning almost nine minutes, yet captures the chill, longful love Lewis is going for on the second half of the album.

Lewis released “Vibes Like This” months before the album dropped, but the song still serves as a cementing piece that glues the second half together. Lucky Daye and Ty Dolla $ign spread the love with their verses and joint chorus, leaving Lewis to the production instead of his lyricism.

Lucky Daye in the pre-chorus states “let me know where you wanna go, makе believe or rеality,” when describing how he would make up for time missed with his counterpart.

Over Lewis’s bouncy, energetic instrumental, the two R&B veterans sing regarding how they “had never felt a vibe like this,” rapping about their experience when alongside the girl that causes them to feel extreme happiness.

Having a track such as “Vibes Like This” released before the album definitely helped generate buzz, with a corresponding music video providing YouTube streams as well.

Final Thoughts

Following the success his 2021 project “times” brought to the table, SG Lewis held his ground and released yet another beautiful album, offering up his producing, songwriting and astounding vocals.

Raking in around 5.6 million listeners a month on Spotify, Lewis is finally receiving the credit he deserves as a producer, singer and songwriter, becoming a new beacon to watch for in the electronic/house scene.

The sales may not be there right away for Lewis, but “AudioLust & HigherLove” will benefit him and his growing audience, expanding far beyond the UK music industry. The future is bright for SG Lewis and the budding house music genre.

Published on February 7, 2023 at 10:56 pm