Aaron Lewis Debuts New Album 'The Hill' At No. 1

03-29-2024

(Absolute Publicity) Staind frontman Aaron Lewis topped the charts with the release of his new album "The Hill." Upon its release this morning, the album soared to the top of the iTunes All Genre and Country charts, debuting at No. 1 on both.

"To me, it reflects where we are as a nation," says Lewis on his chart action. "The silent majority isn't so silent anymore. Thank you to my fans for all of your support. God bless America."

Featuring 10 tracks penned solo or with a close circle of collaborators/confidants, the set speaks to a time of upheaval in the wider world. Pledging to shoot straight with his fans, Lewis offers up a mix of riding out the winds of change and a doorway deep into his soul. Like his 2022 collection FRAYED AT BOTH ENDS, Lewis delivers THE HILL as an acoustic record, maximizing the potential for lyrical impact. Produced by Lewis alongside Ira Dean, it's raw in the purest sense of the Country-rock term - often backing his jagged-edge vocal with just a guitar, dobro and mandolin.

"Music has always been my escape, my way of expressing the things that I don't express very well in life," Lewis explains. "I'm coming up on 52 years old, and I'm on the hill I'm going to stand on. Nobody's going to change me now. This record is a snapshot of my life and how I'm feeling and where my head is at - and that's what my records have always been."

"It's another record that's just really stripped down to the guts," he explains. "I like raw. I like life's imperfections showing through. I'm not perfect, nobody is. And I don't want the music I'm putting out to be either."

Right from the opening track, those guts take center stage. An upbeat track that's "very much not about going fishing," "Let's Go Fishing" finds Lewis calling out the nation's problems - but deciding to leave them for another day. Co-written with Bobby Pinson, a mix of fed-up frustration and organic-Country comfort creates an intriguing contrast - a lightly-coded protest anthem with a let-it-be theme. "I find the whole thing tongue-in-cheek," Lewis admits.

The Vermont-born powerhouse first found success with Staind - the 2000s-era hard rockers who injected meditative muscle into an era better known for mindless aggression. But while that band is still very much alive, it was never enough to satisfy Lewis' creative drive. Embracing his roots to earn a rare second round of success, a series of solo Country projects have led to two No. 1 Billboard Country Album debuts - TOWN LINE (2011) and SINNER (2016) - plus a PLATINUM collab with heroes George Jones and Charlie Daniels ("Country Boy"), and a GOLD-certified Billboard No. 1 with "Am I The Only One" in 2021. Lewis' 2022 solo album followed suit, with FRAYED AT BOTH ENDS emerging as the best-selling Country album in America, but he never wrote songs for the stats. No matter the sonic setting, Lewis writes and sings to get his truth out and THE HILL is no different.

"Somebody's got to live this sh*t, and these songs, they're me," he says. "I really don't feel like I'm alone in my feelings - I'm just more willing to open up my mouth."

Lewis' headline run on THE AMERICAN PATRIOT TOUR continues this weekend with shows tonight (3/29) in Bethlehem, PA and tomorrow (3/30) in Atlantic City, NJ, following a stop in Toledo, OH last night (3/28).

Stream the album here.

THE HILL TRACK LIST
"Let's Go Fishing" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson
"Over The Hill" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson
"Made In China" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson
"Spinnin'" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele
"Over Me" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele
"Outlaw" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson
"Up To Me" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Bobby Pinson
"That's My Life" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele
"Only In My Mind" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele
"Little More Mine" | Written by: Aaron Lewis, Matt McGinn, Bobby Pinson