Song Of The Day: "Be Your Man" by Rhys Lewis

31st October 2019 //

Hey everyone!

There are some artists that just constantly are on our radar and whenever they release new material, we get super hyped and can't wait to become familiar with the new sounds.

Rhys Lewis is one of those artists for us.

We've been hyped since he released his debut single, "Waking Up Without You" back in 2016 and neither our hype nor his streak of quality releases have ended since.

So buckle up and let's dive into our current favourite track.


- Song Of The Day -
"Be Your Man" by Rhys Lewis


Rhys Lewis is a singer/songwriter originally from Oxford (UK), now based in London (UK).

His sound is influenced by legends such as Carole King, Bill Withers and James Taylor.
Rhys' signature sound is a blend of Soul, Pop and Blues with hints of Rock and Folk here and there.
The diversity of his sounds, paired with his talent for story telling has led to over 200 million streams on his previously released singles & EPs.
 
Rhys shares his own experiences through his music, allowing his fans to find comfort and understanding in the lyrics while letting their worries melt away with the melodies. 

Within the past few years, Rhys has taken on the music world by storm and has toured with artists such as Freya Ridings, JP Cooper, James TW and most recently Julia Michaels.


You can catch Rhys on his biggest UK headline tour this winter:

2019:
20th Noveber: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
21st November: Deaf Institute, Manchester
22nd November: Thekla, Bristol
23rd November: O2 Institute3, Birmingham
25th November: EartH, London
26th November: Komedia, Brighton
28th November: O2 Academy2, Oxford
30th November: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
1st December: Button Factory, Dublin

2020:
10th January: Roisin Dubh, Galway
11th January: Glassworks, Derry

- click here for tickets -


"Be Your Man" has previously been released as an acoustic arrangement, letting you really understand the lyrics which tell a story of feeling like you're not enough, like the person you're with is constantly comparing you to their ex.

Now, with a fuller and darker sound, the song reveals another layer of emotions.
With this kind of setting, you realise how being compared to someone else in a relationship doesn't just bring a lot of pain with it, it also causes a lot of frustration and anger.

The foot stomping beat, the energetic piano - and of course - Rhys' vocals express the cycle of thoughts and feelings one goes through in that kind of situation so perfectly.


Listen to "Be Your Man" right here:




- buy "Be Your Man" -
- stream "Be Your Man" -



Rhys Lewis online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: Rhys Lewis via Decca Records

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Release Of The Day: "Better Than Today" by Rhys Lewis

Hey everyone!

It's the first New Music Friday of 2019!
Fridays aren't always the days on which the magic happens,
but they certainly are the days on which the magic gets released.

We're super excited to discover all the music which will be released this year.
Our hunch tells us that we're in for a real treat, so let's kick this first NMF of 2019 off, shall we?

We've got a stunning track to share with you.


- Release Of The Day -
"Better Than Today" by Rhys Lewis


Rhys Lewis is a singer/songwriter originally from Oxford (UK), now based in London (UK).

His sound is influenced by legends such as Carole King, Bill Withers and James Taylor.
Rhys' signature sound is a blend of Soul, Pop and Blues with hints of Rock and Folk here and there.
The diversity of his sounds, paired with his talent for story telling has led to millions of streams on his previously released singles & his debut EP.
 
Rhys shares his own experiences through his music, allowing his fans to find comfort and understanding in the lyrics while letting their worries melt away with the melodies. 

Within the past few years, Rhys has taken on the music world by storm and has toured with artists such as Freya Ridings, JP Cooper and James TW.

Besides that he sold out multiple headline shows in the UK & Europe and has performed on the British Music Embassy stage at SXSW 2018.


2019 is promising to be just as busy and has Rhys kick it off with the release of his new single, "Better Than Today". 


The track was his first experience working as a producer, alongside with Aidan Glover who co-wrote the song, Rhys has been working on this song in their studio in South London.

Rhys says about the track, "We've been living through some pretty turbulent times in recent years.
 I wrote this song to ease my anxiety about the state of the world and remind myself that, whatever our differences are, whatever we choose to believe in, we all live with the same good intentions common, and we're all hoping for a better tomorrow." 


"Better Than Today", in one word, is hopeful.

Despite the admitting of feeling quite scared and lost at times, the lyrics also talk about not giving up, not feeling alone.
It underlines the element of humanity and our basic emotional needs of wanting to be included, united.

The simplicity of the instrumental shows that this artist does not need a lot to craft a powerful and poignant piece of music.

With the piano being the only instrument accompanying Rhys' vocals, you really get to hear the depths his voice offers while he manages to transport the emotions directly to you.



Listen to "Better Than Today" right here:




- buy and/or stream "Better Than Today" -



Rhys Lewis online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: Daniela Alexander-Harris via Universal UK

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EP Review: "Bad Timing" by Rhys Lewis

Hey guys!

I don't know about you, but I'm already loving 2018 in this industry.

We're seeing musicians speaking up politically (uhm, hello - how incredible was Stormzy's performance at the Brits?), we get to watch impressive lyric videos (Eminem's "Untouchable" is genius) and all our favourites are touring (remember when I cried at a Paramore show last month?) - long story short: the situation could be worse.

And - spoiler: it's not going downhill.

Tomorrow (if you're reading this on February 22nd), one of house in the sand's favourite acts is releasing his debut EP - and if he isn't one of your favs yet, this will do the last bit of convincing you might need.

So let's check it out, yeah?

Artist: Rhys Lewis
Title: Bad Timing
Genre: Soul, Pop
Label: Decca, Universal Music
Release Date: 23rd February 2018

Rhys Lewis is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, originally from Oxford (UK), now based in London (UK).

His sound is influenced by legends such as Carole King, Bill Withers and James Taylor.
Rhys' signature sound is a blend of Soul, Pop and Blues with hints of Rock and Folk here and there.
The diversity of his sounds, paired with his talent for story telling has led to millions of streams on his previously released singles.

Rhys has quickly gained a large following, allowing him to sell out shows in the UK and Europe inbetween support shows for JP Cooper and James TW.

Before he's heading on his second European headline tour in April, Rhys can be seen at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas (US).

But first he's treating us with his debut EP, "Bad Timing".

So let's check it out!


Tracklist:

1) Bad Timing
2) Reason To Hate You
3) Bloodstains
4) Don't Wanna Believe It (Acoustic)


Opener and title track "Bad Timing" is a timeless and refreshing track.
There's something about the way it is arranged that feels like you've heard it before, like it's an old friend you haven't seen in a while.
But every element in the track offers excitement in the most comforting way. The dark instrumentation acts like a highlighter, intensifying the heavy emotions felt in the situation which Rhys describes with his words.

For "Reason To Hate You", all we hear is Rhys' voice and the electric guitar.
This simplicity could be tragically monotonous to listen to, but it isn't - instead it soaks you in and makes sure you listen to the track with all of your attention.
Maybe it's Rhys' confidence in his writing, maybe it's the universal and relatable heartbreak he's singing about, maybe it's magic.

"Bloodstains" is our personal stand-out track.
It sounds like Soul-Pop music you would've heard in the 60s or 70s somewhere in the States, it's classy but also modern.
The beat is straight forward and marches confidently through the track, the bass is booming through the speakers and will get you on your feet to dance along.
Rhys sings about the addictive feeling you can get in relationships that might not be working out.
Rhys' e-guitar soars in a dirtier and heavier manner than before and it works brilliantly, underlining the frustration we hear in his voice.

To sum it up: Not many four-track EPs can win you over with variety. But Rhys surely found a way to showcase different elements while still keeping the theme of the EP cohesive and meaningful. 

The listeners get to follow him through a journey of emotions and his honesty and vivid storytelling make it so easy to relate to his emotions. 

No matter how hard you try to listen to the instrumentations (and you should try hard because they are brilliant!), you just can't go without mentioning Rhys' warm and expressive vocals that just shine in any set-up - whether that's in a full band situation or during an acoustic performance.
We've said it before and we'll say it again - we can't wait for the debut album.


You should listen to these tracks: Bad Timing, Bloodstains





Rhys Lewis online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram



More of Rhys Lewis on house in the sand: Video Interview | Song Title Challenge







Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: via Universal UK

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Song Of The Day: "Reason To Hate You" by Rhys Lewis

Hey guys!

Over here at house in the sand, we love getting to know artists through their music.

You know, just by listening to an album, you get to hear multiple sides of an artists - maybe you'll hear how they sound when they're sad, or when they're happy, or in love.
It's super interesting and exciting to learn all of that just through music.

With the amount of versatile singles Rhys Lewis has released over the course of the past year, we've heard a lot of his musical sides - and not a single one has been a let down.

Today we're hear to share Rhys' latest single with you and we hope you are ready to cry.


- Song Of The Day -
"Reason To Hate You" by Rhys Lewis


Rhys Lewis is a singer/songwriter based in London, UK.

His sound is going to make every classic Soul lover's heart beat - combining Soul with elements of Folk, Rock and Blues, Rhys has quickly created a signature sound which will draw your attention to his work.

Spending most of the past year in studios in London, Nashville, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Berlin and Isle Of Wight, the young musician has been writing and recording songs for his upcoming debut album.
His debut single "Waking Up Without You" hit #1 on Spotify's Viral Chart and reached 170 000 streams within two weeks.

Follow-up single "Living In The City" was just as strong and has now been streamed over 1.3 million times - a statement which probably speaks for itself.

His third single "I Know The Feeling" was written for a friend who was going through a tough time. The song and its music video adddress the importance of men's mental health.

Followed by "Be Your Man", a heartbreakingly beautiful ballad that won us all over with it's simplicity and straight-forward attitude.

He got us up on our feet, dancing to his upbeat track "Wish I Was Sober" in September.  

To catch one of his upcoming Europe and UK shows, make sure to click here for the dates.


And just last week he released his brand new single "Reason To Hate You", a heartbreaking ballad.


Throughout the entire song, all we hear is Rhys' voice and the electric guitar.
This simplicity could be tragically monotonous to listen to, but it isn't.

In fact, it soaks you in and grabs you.
Maybe it's Rhys' confidence in his writing, maybe it's the universal and relatable heartbreak he's singing about, maybe it's magic.

But it grabs your attention.
With vivid storytelling, highlighting the vulnerable side of love and - of course, expressive vocals, it's no surprise that we found our eyes watering and our hearts breaking a little.



Listen to "Reason To Hate You" here:




- buy or stream "Reason To Hate You" -



Rhys Lewis online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram



More of Rhys Lewis on house in the sand: Video Interview | Song Title Challenge





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: Rhys Lewis via Universal UK

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