“’No Room In Hell’ is a rose-tinted daydream and an embodiment of the whole record,” says genre-defying soul artist Lew Apollo about his luminous new single. The first glimpse of his highly anticipated debut album Fool’s Gold, which is out August 8, 2025, the track is a masterclass in emotional duality, pairing honeyed production with themes of longing and illusion and setting the tone for a record that is equal parts cinematic and soul-baring. “‘No Room In Hell’ came to me in about 45 minutes,” he explains. “I was in a good mood, riding high on discovering the band Jungle, and everything just clicked—the beat, the melody, the lyrics. It captures the exact energy of the record: shiny on the outside, but full of deeper questions underneath.”
A Minnesota native now rooted in Austin, Texas, Lew Apollo has built a name as a bold new voice in modern soul—drawing comparisons to Hozier, Leon Bridges, and Labrinth, yet offering something entirely his own. Following the breakout success of his 2023 EP JUNGLE—which amassed over 150,000 streams in just two months—Lew’s next chapter unfolds in Fool’s Gold, a deeply personal exploration of mental health, grief, love, and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality.
The album begins with “No Room In Hell”, an up-tempo anthem brimming with groove and dreamlike warmth. From there, Fool’s Gold guides listeners through a raw and riveting emotional arc. Tracks like “Sweeter” and “Let The Light In” explore the highs and fragility of love—while “Lost In You,” “Addicted,” and “Diamonds & Gold” navigate the inner turmoil that often lurks behind beauty.
As the album progresses so does the tone, growing more introspective and haunting. The final song, “Feeling Ok,” offers a quiet catharsis—a fragile but hopeful end to a record that never shies away from emotional truth. “Fool’s Gold is about the journey through illusion—how we chase happiness and healing in all the wrong places until we finally strip everything back,” says Lew. “It’s a concept album in disguise. It starts in this lush, glittery dream and ends in the most honest, grounded place I’ve ever been in my music.”
Following a string of sold-out performances across Austin—including headline shows at venerable venues such as The Pershing and Antone’s—Lew Apollo has solidified his place as one of the city’s most exciting rising acts. With Fool’s Gold, he steps into a new chapter: not just as a producer-songwriter, but as a fearless storyteller confronting the shadows and searching for light.
Live shows:
* supporting Los Lonely Boys
June 5 – Austin, TX @ Imogene + Willie
June 20 – Bayfield, WI @ Big Top Chautauqua *
June 22 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Performance Pavilion Sweetwater *
July 6 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Corpus Christi *
August 2 – Midland, TX @ The Tailgate *
August 7 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s
August 16 – Galveston, TX @ Hotel Lucine