Singer-songwriter Dean Lewis, best known for his hit “Be Alright,” released his debut studio album “A Place We Knew” on Friday.
Lewis first gained recognition in his own home country of Australia when he released his debut single “Waves,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Australian charts. The song is best known for being used in the popular TV show “Riverdale,” as well as in other shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Suits.”
After his successful debut single, which is now quintuple-platinum in Australia, Lewis released his first EP, “Same Kind of Different” in 2017, and in that same year, received five nominations at the Australian ARIA Music Awards for his work.
Now, in 2019, Lewis has finally released his debut album after his incredibly successful single, “Be Alright,” which currently stands at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified Platinum in seven countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“A Place We Knew” helps to solidify Lewis’ identity as a musician after an incredibly successful viral single. Several of the songs on the album show off his ability to write emotional lyrics and showcase his singer-songwriter abilities.
The album starts off with “Hold of Me,” which Lewis said is one of the first songs he has written that is not based off of events that took place in his own life.
“Hold of Me” starts out with just a simple guitar, then builds up to a triumphant chorus and powerful vocals, similar to Ed Sheeran’s incredibly successful hit, “Castle on the Hill.” This song was definitely a perfect way to start off the album, as it leaves the listener empowered and exhilarated to listen to the rest of the album.
“7 Minutes” shows off Lewis’s ability as a songwriter to paint a picture for the listener.
Lewis said he came up with the idea for “7 Minutes” while he was on the way back home in an Uber after an argument with a girl he was seeing. You can hear the emotion behind his voice as he sings, “It’s been seven minutes since I’ve lost the girl of my dreams.”
“Waves” was another standout song on the album. The fast-fast tempo song sounds like it was born to be featured on cinematic soundtracks, which it was. Many of the harmonies included in the chorus’ background were not present in Lewis’s other songs, so this is an interesting way to diversify the artist’s growing sound.
The best song off of the album is his most popular song, “Be Alright,” which is about feeling down but knowing that everything will be OK because of the amazing people around you.
What separates “Be Alright” from the others is the brutal honesty of its lyrics, regarding the feelings of hurt and loss by the hands of a loved one. The song’s lyrics show the perspective of a best friend helping someone through a breakup.
“A Place We Knew” did lack some innovation. Many of its songs could be easily considered near reproductions of other works by indie singers and songwriters. It doesn’t help Lewis that he has a similar voice to artists such as Ed Sheeran, James Bay and Passenger.
This can also be attributed to the nature of the indie genre itself — diversity of writers, producers and singers is clearly lacking, something to which Lewis can attest. When he finds lyrics and melodies that are personal to him, he really hits the sweet spot. But otherwise, his music will likely get lost in the vast sea of acoustic musicianship.
It’s too early to tell what direction Lewis’s career will go in. But for now, it is clear that the young artist has built a solid foundation to rise higher in his craft.
