Hailing from Ozark, Arkansas, Jeh Sea Wells’ rock project, Welles, has certainly been finding its feet over the last 12 months. From the release of debut 2017 EP, Codine, to the recent 2018 worldwide tour supporting multiple Grammy nominated rock act, Highly Suspect, Welles’ exposure to a wider audience is well and truly underway. And to be completely honest, it’s for pretty good reason too.
If Welles is anything, sole member Jeh Sea Wells is the kind of artist who embraces all influences, and throws them wholeheartedly into his creative endeavors, and Welles is absolutely no exception to this rule. Debut EP, Codine, and recent live performances, have displayed a project entirely dedicated to the classic rock and grunge energy of the 90s, with Jeh Sea Wells’ vocal style eerily similar to the likes of Kurt Cobain, crooning away over massive overdriven riffs and blistering guitar harmonies during tracks ‘Codine’, and ‘Into Ashes’.
Lyrically, much of Welles’ material enhances itself through simple, yet effective ideas, such as the repeated ‘Into Ashes’ chorus line, “do you know what I’ve done?” The EP’s middle act, ‘Hold Me Like I’m Leaving’, offers another prime example of all elements working together in infectious harmony, a fuzz driven guitar lead wailing under Jeh Sea Wells’ increasingly more exasperated howls of “hold me like I’m leavin’ ‘cause I feel it come a creepin’ again”.
With a recent strong resurgence regarding rock music popularity, successful garage rock act Royal Blood and the aforementioned Highly Suspect being prime examples of new blood entering an ever-changing, classic genre, the last few years have certainly been an exciting time to keep an eye out for fantastic new talent in the rock scene. Entering 2018 with enthusiastic stride, and touring alongside Highly Suspect, it comes as little surprise the Massachusetts rock trio chose to push the relatively under-the-radar Welles out into the spotlight, and whatever 2018 brings, Welles is certainly attracting some well-deserved attention.