Payson Lewis brings out the epic within himself with his latest 11-track record, Sorry To Keep You Up. This true indie-pop masterpiece showcases and features all the basic needs for emotion, artistry, and storytelling in one enjoyable auditory experience. Produced by Ben Soldate and co-produced by Lewis himself, this epic showcases talent and effort over four years in the making.
Beginning with ‘Blurrier,’ the album gets the ball rolling on guitar plucks, keeping things simple before bursting into the kind of insatiably rhythmic indie-pop the genre excels at. Layered vocals, energetic percussion, and jagged distorted guitar lines paint a landscape for an invigorating listening session. Hopes and dreams emerge through this single as he makes his way to Los Angeles, one of the several taken as an underlying theme in the whole album.
A highlight track is ‘Primal,’ which takes you to dark and mysterious places. It will melt you with the bass lines. Sensuality and intensity ooze out of it with its percussive vocals. This contrasts so strongly with the simple instrumentation in the verses and the multi-layer chorus, showing off Lewis’s complexity in being able to write songs yet keeping them accessible.
The title track closer, “Sorry To Keep You Up,” is quite beautifully moving. It sees the beautiful piano tinkles and acoustic guitar strums underpin the beauty of Payson’s warm vocal delivery. The more the track builds up, the more force it exerts on driving the listener along with him through the powerful journey he has embarked on, ups and downs, in his career. Lines such as ‘Missed another holiday, working towards a raise, counting up change, just to store it away in a 401k’ describe the sacrifices and the grind required to chase one’s dream.
Lewis describes the album as an artistic illustration of his career, exploring the necessity of perseverance and continuous movement forward. It was pieced together over more than four years: attributing to his perseverance—and the people around him who have believed in him and willed him to keep going. Encompassing the contributions of over 30 talented musicians, writers, arrangers, engineers, and fellow artists, the album contains diverse and vibrant sounds.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Payson Lewis’s musical journey was heavily affected by his brother’s eclectic music collection. Moving to Los Angeles for college, he studied music at USC. From the urban heat of Philadelphia to the electric fringe of LA, he took that transition into his music, blending real emotion with dynamic energy.
Stream Sorry To Keep You Up on all platforms and let Payson Lewis take you on an unforgettable musical journey.
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Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.