Australian singer/songwriter Benji Lewis dwells in the aching depths of new love in “Head Rush,” a beautiful, intimate, and vulnerable outpouring of raw emotion and slick, chilled pop passion.
Stream: “Head Rush” – Benji Lewis
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I feel the struggle and frustration of wanting this love story to work out. I love how palpable it all is.
There’s nothing as exciting, as sweet, or as scary as new love: That period of budding romance where anything is possible, and (as Ellie Goulding sings,) anything could happen. Australian singer/songwriter Benji Lewis dwells in the visceral depths of that complex, unsettling feeling in his latest single “Head Rush,” a beautiful, intimate, and vulnerable outpouring of raw emotion and slick, chilled pop passion.
I met you out on canning street
You looked at me that way and
I saved my hours for you
Why’d you hesitate then
Young heart, slow starts
Rough seas, we can’t cross
Old dreams die hard
Head Rush, can’t stop it
Starlight, your eyes
You said you tried
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Head Rush,” Benji Lewis’ first solo release of the year (following February’s hypnotic “ingrained in wood,” a collaboration with Los Angeles duo Meridian). The lead single off the Melbourne-based artist’s forthcoming EP Floating (set for release this June), “Head Rush” finds Lewis dwelling in the throes of his own vibrant and fragile emotions, with tempered, immediate sonics and a touchingly poignant narrative serving as his song’s guiding lights.
Cool, percussive guitars make for a powerful backdrop while “Head Rush” gets underway; as ethereal vocal oohs and ahhs fill in some of the empty space, Lewis sings hot on the mic, his tender, golden voice getting up close and personal with listeners. “I saved my hours for you, why’d you hesitate then?” he sings softly, an aching in his cadence. “Young heart, slow starts, rough seas, we can’t cross, old dreams die hard, head rush, can’t stop it…” Lewis’ underlying emotions rapidly intensify as he nears the chorus, and ultimately everything erupts in a stirring display of heart-on-sleeve authenticity and sincerity:
I’m still in deep
Heart still racin’ for
You, you, you
I’m still waiting, I’m still waiting
You, you, you
I’m still waiting, I’m still waiting
As it happens, this particular new love doesn’t have the smoothest flow, nor does it have a fairytale ending. It’s stressful and tense for the narrator, who finds himself turned inside out by a roller-coaster romance.
“This song tells the beginning of a relationship and all the many feelings that come with it,” Lewis tells Atwood Magazine. “It starts off quite innocently with a story of two people falling in love, but then it starts to delve deeper into the thoughts, feelings and struggles of being in love with someone whose way of life and love is so different to your own. It’s a major head fuck, but “Head Rush” seemed more appropriate for a song title!” he laughs.
Lewis worked with MTNS frontman Tom Eggert as his producing engineer; together, they brought “Head Rush” and his whole EP to life with vivid sounds to match the dynamic emotions and experiences at his music’s core.
“After being in lockdown for so long, it was so refreshing to finally travel and get in a studio again,” Lewis says. “I traveled to Brisbane to work with Tom Eggert (who co-wrote and produced the EP), who had a really comfortable studio space where I could begin processing and expressing some of the feelings, thoughts and emotions that I was experiencing when writing these songs. It was very therapeutic and greatly needed.”
You caught me by surprise, it’s true
Didn’t know I was falling
You gave me everything you could
If only it was enough for us
Young heart, slow starts
Rough seas, we can’t cross
Old dreams die hard
Head rush, can’t stop it
Starlight your eyes
You said you tried
I’m still in deep
Heart still racin’ for
You, you, you
I’m still waiting, I’m still waiting
You, you, you
I’m still waiting, I’m still waiting
Active since the mid-2010s, Benji Lewis has spent the majority of the past seven years releasing a steady stream of standalone singles and the occasional EP; between 2016’s Hearts & Halos, 2017’s Home for Now, 2018’s Together Apart, and 2020’s Here, Then and Now, he has four extended players to his name that showcase the depth and draw of his continuously evolving and expanding artistry. With its grace, candor, and flow, “Head Rush” feels like a bold step forward for Lewis, both in terms of his musical growth as well as his artistic maturity.
“I think it’s honest, and I now just openly express my thoughts, feelings, and experiences – or I continue to do so, maybe even a little more openly now,” Lewis says of “Head Rush.” “[I’m] somewhat more vulnerable and wanting to get it all out there in the world so it exists, and I can process things better and also move on from anything that I need to. I like that the music on this EP – including this first single – is so raw and honest, as the stories were all still very fresh when I got into the studio for this material.”
“I love that this song is so real to me,” he adds. “I can see all the moments and feelings as pictures in my mind so clearly. I feel the struggle and frustration of wanting this love story to work out. I love how palpable it all is and how it’s still pop and got light to it.”
There’s nothing as painful as not knowing what tomorrow will bring for your burgeoning love.
Will your heart be broken, your dreams dashed, and your hopes for tomorrow gone in an instant? New love is unstable and unpredictable, and because of its inherent vulnerability, it can hurt more than most things in this world. When you let someone in, you run the risk of them wreaking havoc on your heart and soul – but you let them in anyway, because the chance at living together, happily ever after, makes it all worthwhile. Ultimately, Benji Lewis reckons and reels through the sting of that early uncertainty throughout “Head Rush.” “I’m still waiting, I’m still waiting,” he pleads passionately. Whether his love interest heeds his call is the topic of another song, left for another day.
Resolution takes time, and sometimes you’re left unresolved. Lewis doesn’t find catharsis or get closure in “Head Rush,” but he does show himself to be more open and vulnerable than ever before, and the result is as enchanting as it is emotional. Stream “Head Rush” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from Benji Lewis in 2022!
Lewis’ forthcoming EP is set to release in June.
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:: stream/purchase “Head Rush” here ::
Stream: “Head Rush” – Benji Lewis
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