Lee Lewis – HOWL
The concept of everything old being new again clearly works better in some contexts than others, and musical “revival” movements of the late 20th and early 21st centuries have delivered the goods more than most. Third-wave ska worked, at the very least insofar as it bled into more punk and more modern rock. The post-punk revival continues to work. And we’re deep in an ongoing soul revival criss-crossing the mainstream and the indie underground. Against that last backdrop, there’s something about Lee Lewis’ second EP, HOWL, that strikes particular chords of authenticity and quality.
After debuting in 2024 with his EP Something Burning, the Los Angeles musician quickly pocketed a mess of heartbreak: a lost love, a lost job with Spotify, a lost recording contract. Lewis has explained that HOWL represents not an expression of pain from any or all of these wounds, but the primal battle cry a dog might make surrounded by wolves. That metaphorical isolation—and its “come get some” attitude—appears to manifest in music that feels slightly more stripped down, and more urgent vocals with fewer effects, than his first release.
In exhibiting that little bit of extra restraint in his arrangements, Lewis also seems to step back in time. Howl is saturated by the conditions of the quiet storm. Like that 1980s urban radio programming meant to make the late-night hours cool and romantic, Lewis pulls liberally from decades of R&B with occasional crossovers into pop-leaning gospel and deceptively funky moments in yacht rock. Silk Sonic made sounds like this in 2021, but there’s something about the DIY nature of HOWL that makes its throwback nature feel as honest as it is refreshing.
From opener “Forever & You” to his cover of Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater” to the modern subtle horniness of “The Long Way,” Lee Lewis laces this EP with overdubbed chorales, Philadelphia sound chord progressions, and downright conversational bass parts. His vocal sweet spot approximates Luther Vandross; there are moments where his delivery echoes Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse. And in blitzing through six songs in 18 minutes, the music of HOWL doesn’t stay in one place for very long. It’s a delightful sonic appetizer, teasing at a larger tableau of music from a defiant heart.
Label: AWAL
Year: 2026
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