Since materialising into prevalence during lockdown, DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter SG Lewis (full name Samuel George Lewis) has zipped into the upper-echelons of the UK’s pop scene, fast proving himself capable of hurling out hits for some of Britain’s finest, including Raye, Aluna, Dua Lipa and Elton John to name just a few. Debut album ‘times’ was a total hit, channelling the essence of funk and disco via glimmering electronic pop that felt accessible to all.
Two years on, Lewis’ second album ‘AudioLust & HigherLove’ drops as we wade through the bleak end of winter; a timely reminder that earnest enjoyment may still exist in England. On this record, Lewis leans a little more on his electronic influences, forgoing the funk for a more digitised, synth-heavy sound.
Now, there’s plenty of appeal to be found in Lewis’ balmy style of crowd-pleasing dance-pop, and if feel-good bops are just what the doctor ordered, then the project certainly delivers. There’s fun to be had in the 80s synth-pop vibe of ‘Missing You’ and the Healy-esque vocals of ‘Oh Laura’. Meanwhile, the producer continues to demonstrate his in-demand status, collaborating with a breadth of varied artists, such as Tove Lo, Ty Dolla $ign, Lucky Daye, Channel Tres and Charlotte Day Wilson.
But like a disco-ball spinning above the dancefloor, while ‘AudioLust & HigherLove’ shimmers and shines, splashing colour and light in the whitest of walls, its tracks have a tendency to swirl round and round with little discernible progression and not quite enough hedonistic oomph to justify their circularity. While this repetitiveness arguably works on anthemic earworms like ‘Holding On’ and ‘Something About Your Love’, there are too many times when the record drags and doesn’t gift us with that burst of club night euphoria we’re holding out for.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of nice surprises on the album. The playful, lo-fi track ‘Plain Sailing’ is a delight, mixing a sunny guitar melody with Lewis’ dreamy, harmonised vocals, while the skittering, swirling ‘Different Light’ tips its hat to Tame Impala and reaps the rewards of doing so. Rounding off the album, ‘Honest’ gently packs an emotional punch, with Lewis’s wistful, layered crooning complementing the tinkling key-led melody and steady beat with ease. SG’s talent as a producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist is undeniable, and it’s on these less predictable tunes where he demonstrates the extent of the originality and flair at his fingertips that he shows us his true potential.
7/10
Words: Henrietta Taylor
