Tony Lewis From The Outfield has officially announced Friday, June 29 as the release date for his first solo album, Out of the Darkness, via Madison Records. The new 12-track album, written and recorded by Lewis over the past two years, is his first for the Atlanta-based label and features the debut single "Into the Light," hitting radio and all digital music platforms May 18. Full track listing below.
Out of the Darkness takes on the spirit of The Outfield, the '80s rock group he founded with the late John Spinks while letting Tony's own style shine through. Tony produced and recorded everything on his own for the new album, in addition to playing all the instruments.
Following the 2014 passing of his longtime friend and collaborator, Lewis took a break from music but the London-based musician, songwriter and record producer couldn't stay away for long as the music is too ingrained in his life. He had always written and recorded solo work and, with the help and love of his wife Carol, found his inspiration again to create Out of the Darkness, his first official solo project.
"I spent three years away from music, thinking about whether I still had something to contribute to the music industry, but I started to miss recording and singing. I felt it was something I had to do," says Lewis. Of the album's title, he adds, "It is taken from a song on the album, 'Into the Light,' and sums up my journey through the transition of loss and knowing that whatever happens, I am lucky to have a loving and supportive family."
Above: Tony Lewis from The Outfield
In support of the album's release, Lewis will be hitting the road this summer on the Retro Futura Tour, alongside Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Modern English, Kajagoogoo's Limahl and Bow Wow Wow's Annabella. The July and August outing--including a July 28 show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles--will mark his first tour in over 13 years. See below for all upcoming tour dates and go to www.retrofuturatour.com for additional information.
"First, I'm just excited to be playing live," shares Lewis. "It's why I became a musician, to entertain, and playing live is an intrinsic part of my DNA. But also, I am very fortunate to have a loyal fan base from The Outfield, who are all rooting for me. I would like to give them something back for all the messages of support over the last few years. I'm really looking forward to supporting my new music by performing live and reconnecting with the music industry."
The Outfield took the '80s by storm with their infectious pop songs, including "Your Love," "All The Love" and "Say It Isn't So." Their 1985 debut album, Play Deep, reached triple platinum sales status and Top 10 on the U.S. album charts. "Your Love" peaked at #6 and is still featured in a number of compilation albums and commercials, and has been covered or remixed over 1,000 times by other artists. More than 30 years later, "Your Love" continues to make waves with an average of 1 million streams per week on Spotify and over 5 million monthly views of the video on YouTube, while still in rotation at over 300 major market radio stations across the country. The massive single has also been featured on various TV spots including recent episodes of "The Goldbergs" and "Family Guy" and a long-running Bounce commercial, airing since 2014. Collectively, The Outfield has over 170 million total views on YouTube videos and 125 million streams on Spotify.
Out of the Darkness Track Listing:
- Into the Light
- Here And Now
- Only You
- The Dance of Love
- All Alone
- I'll Still Be Here
- Loving You
- Melt The Ice
- Thank You (For Breaking My Heart)
- Dreams and Wishes
- Think That You Know Me
- I Know
