A new EP release from Lewnatic brings out a soiree of alternative rock, punk rock and so much more all blended into one record so you're able to really soak in a whole atmosphere brought on by shredding guitars and deepening riffs that give the record it's drive.
The EP is called The Lost Souls and it certainly has a few surprises around the corners along with a ton of character and persona to really keep you engaged.
One of the most impressive things about this record are those guitars and even just the tone of them alone really allows the record to have the right balance of edginess and color that it's supposed to.
A lot of this record leans on that alternative rock backbone but there are tracks here that venture off into different genres and feel cinematic and lush as well breaking up the record perfectly.
There's something graceful about the performances on this record and how the guitars are laid out and tracked because it's not just about rocking hard, it's also about utilizing that balance of tones to let the listener get an idea of the staple feel and soundscape that this record actually delivers.
Throughout the five-song span of the EP you get such a great youthful gusto that you can start to feel in your bones after a while and there are also plenty of musical hooks throughout the record that stick with you for a really long time as well.
The record has good production all around, but it also has hints of lo-fi which actually gives it this sort of aesthetic that makes you love it even more because it becomes a little bit more personal in that sense.
I love a record that has this heavy rock vastness that really has the ability to pick you up and take you to a different place all together and this EP does exactly that.
It feels like this was inspired by some classic '90s alt-rock bands along with that punk rock backbone that never really goes away.
The record also gives off this wonderful but strange sense of camaraderie in tracks like "Together We Rise" which is one of my favorites from the record.
You can definitely tell these songs were built and created with lots of heart and just as a pure passion project because that element and approach comes through the entire time and very clearly.
Because of that, you become more attached to it and the record becomes more relatable.
This was wonderfully done and we're no strangers to the band so to hear this record really makes me happy simply because I didn't want them to stray too far from their formula and they certainly have it.
Again, there are some experimental songs on this record that are a little bit outside the norm for the Lewnatic sound but all in all, This Record gives that staple feel that I was looking for from the band.
We're big fans of them over here and to hear they come out with another record that packs as much punch and gives off that real genuine alternative rock approach makes us very happy.
With the release of this record, we wanted to sit down with the band and talk about how it came to be and what might be coming up next.
Here's what went down.
RAG: Okay lets talk about the The Lost Souls record! This release had some great ruffs and guitar tone all over it! How did this one come about? At the time I was making this record, I was dealing with a lot of mental health related stuff, and some drama with some personal things at the time. I was doing music full-time remotely as an indie artist for 7 years straight up to that point, and I was very hindered by bad vibes on social-media brought on by negative people. I decided! That I would record an EP dedicated to the struggles that I was facing. And use it, and the music, to help others out with whatever they’re dealing with at the moment! RAG: We're no stranger to Lewnatic! It's been a little while wince the last release. How long did it take you to get this one together? This one was relatively fast. What I did was, I got some undisclosed beats & instrumentals from an anonymous source, as the rhythmic and backing tracks musically! After getting all that in tact, I opened up Logic Pro on my laptop and began laying down all the guitar leads rather fast. My ficitional relative Madeline sings on the final track on the album, Victory! When I was making this record, I was aiming for more of the sounds from my youth, the circa 1992 hard rock and grunge type of vibe. Like Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and all that. I tried doing that with the Patrick Lew Band as far back as the early 2010s, but my playing skills and the technology to do what I did with this EP weren't quite there yet. A lot of the things I do these to create my music, such as Vocaloid (to create Madeline Lew's vocals), A.I. music generators, and etc etc didn't start to come together till I brought back Patrick Lew Band a few years back during the pandemic. Everything for this album came together rather fast, oddly enough, about half a week or so. Then I sent everything to my record label Bentley Records for the mastering digitally via Dropbox, then the album was finally dropped worldwide on March 15th this year too! I essentially rebranded Lewnatic as what PLB should have been: "a modern Asian-American themed homage to early 90's American hard rock." That was my intention for this record. RAG: Do you go to a big studio for your recordings, or do you have a home studio set up for your records? I don't go to big professional studios to do my music. I have a relatively simple yet sophisticated studio setup to do my music semi-professionally, I'm basically a "bedroom producer." I use my knowledge with modern-day electronic music production, guitar playing, songwriting and throw everything altogether in this solo project known as Lewnatic. Believe it or not, I very rarely ever go to outside big studios to record my albums! I do everything DIY and at home for sure! Based on the experience and knowledge I've gained from doing rock and roll semi-professionally in the Bay Area and abroad for the last 20+ years or so! RAG: Are you performing any live shows or doing any tours? Since the pandemic hit, it's been rather very hard for Lewnatic to get booked any live shows or do any form of touring. I'm a one-man punk rock freak show onstage: just me singing/rapping, playing guitar, and handling all other sounds from my laptop via AUX cable. The last time I performed publicly was for my good friend Luke Sauer's podcast at Edge Studios on Memorial Day 2023. Other than that, I've been doing some live-streaming of virtual concerts on YouTube sporadically. I do hope to personally get back on playing live again soon! If it doesn't happen soon, I'm okay with it though. RAG: What's your favorite part about making music? I absolutely love digital marketing when it comes to making music! It's like wrestling promos, they're the perfect written and verbal buildup shining light on what you're all about, and what you do. I am really into digital marketing as an indie music artist. It opened many doors for people globally to hear me out too, and I'm just a "bedroom producer" doing this as a virtual rock band type of thang at home! RAG: There are a lot of amazing guitar parts on this record! Were you a guitar player first? Thank you! I actually started playing guitar when I was 13 years old back in the year 1999. It's basically what I started with as a musician. I eventually branched out, and began playing bass guitar and piano too. Then, as computers started getting more advanced and becoming a part of daily practical use, that's when I began developing skills and interest in "digital music production." RAG: When did you get into full songwriting? I got into songwriting as early as I began playing guitar for sure! I usually write songs related to science fiction, the Asian-American experience, being the underdog in this crazy crazy world we live in. A lot of my lyrics talk about things common in grunge and punk rock music: alienation and abjection. In short, being this pariah type of fella in this society. When I was growing up, I was never popular in school, I never got the girl, and I was always struggling to find my voice and niche among many in the scene. A lot of this anger and especially because I faced a lot of adversity and prejudice in my formative years, growing up in San Francisco, oddly enough...Directly inspired me as a songwriter. I usually write from experience, but I also try to keep it easy and simple. Like a lot of my music are also just instrumentals with no lead vocals from me or Maddie Lew. I'm usually particular which songs I write and come up with should have lyrics and with me rapping or singing in them! RAG: Do you work on other projects as well as Lewnatic? Oh, most definitely! I'm mostly best known for the Asian-American rock group Patrick Lew Band (PLB) since the early 2000s. Look us up online via Google to know more too. I also play guitar in my friend's band Crazy Loser in a Box too up in San Jose, CA on-and-off since 2018 or so. As far as I'm concerned, my main creativity and passion is either going more towards Lewnatic or Patrick Lew Band as we speak! RAG: Can we expect any music videos coming from you soon? I'm always working with my good friend James Conrad on ideas for upcoming music videos for songs. But I'm also making my own music videos and posting them on my YouTube and social-media too related to Lewnatic as well! So, there's definitely going to be more ideas, more creativity, and new content coming from Lewnatic or Patrick Lew Band as we head into 2024 and beyond! RAG: What's coming up next for the project? At the moment, I'm going to hold off on making new music with Lewnatic, because my plan for 2024 onward is to focus more exclusively on the Patrick Lew Band with Cousin Madeline, as new music is currently in the works for the project! I do plan on touring and continuing to live-stream new content and all the 9 yards under the Lewnatic name however on social-media and in the Bay Area music scene for sure! I originally created Lewnatic as a way to tour and perform my music solo pretty much. Patrick Lew Band is basically a virtual rock band, like Gorillaz, Alvin & The Chipmunks, Jem & The Holograms, The Beets, and stuff like that. Because Madeline is actually me cosplaying as a female, but marketed as my relative and bandmate...Like how Jack and Meg White were marketed in their band The White Stripes. PLB is basically intended as a V-Tuber type of musical project seems like, where the music is rather experimental but still rocking. Whereas, Lewnatic is supposed to be a solo rock and roll spectacle and freak show in my own way. Ya know! RAG: How would you express your love to the fans of the music?
It definitely means a lot to me that they support it and they're fans of it. I hope they continue to support and stay loyal to what I do, and continue streaming my songs I write on Spotify, come to my shows, keep tuning into my YouTube channel, and all that. I also hope, that my music helps them become better citizens on this planet, since the world is so crazy and hella bipolar and all that. I've been doing this for more than 20 years. While, it wasn't always an easy road to get where I'm at nowadays. I'm very grateful how everything turned out for my indie music career for sure! And I got the stans to thank!
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