Artists To Watch: Welles

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by M. Stoneman

Hailing from Ozark, Arkansas,ย Jeh Sea Wellsโ€™ rock project,ย Welles, has certainly been finding its feet over the last 12 months. From the release of debut 2017 EP,ย Codine, to the recent 2018 worldwide tour supporting multiple Grammy nominated rock act,ย Highly Suspect,ย Wellesโ€™ exposure to a wider audience is well and truly underway. And to be completely honest, itโ€™s for pretty good reason too.

Ifย Wellesย is anything, sole memberย Jeh Sea Wellsย is the kind of artist who embraces all influences, and throws them wholeheartedly into his creative endeavors, andย Wellesย is absolutely no exception to this rule. Debut EP,ย Codine,ย and recent live performances, have displayed a project entirely dedicated to the classic rock and grunge energy of the 90s, withย Jeh Seaย Wellsโ€™ย vocal style eerily similar to the likes ofย Kurt Cobain, crooning away over massive overdriven riffs and blistering guitar harmonies during tracks โ€˜Codineโ€™, and โ€˜Into Ashesโ€™.

Lyrically, much ofย Wellesโ€™ material enhances itself through simple, yet effective ideas, such as the repeated โ€˜Into Ashesโ€™ chorus line,ย โ€œdo you know what Iโ€™ve done?โ€ย The EPโ€™s middle act, โ€˜Hold Me Like Iโ€™m Leavingโ€™, offers another prime example of all elements working together in infectious harmony, a fuzz driven guitar lead wailing underย Jeh Seaย Wellsโ€™ย increasingly more exasperated howls ofย โ€œhold me like Iโ€™m leavinโ€™ โ€˜cause I feel it come a creepinโ€™ againโ€.

With a recent strong resurgence regarding rock music popularity, successful garage rock act Royal Bloodย and the aforementionedย Highly Suspectย 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 alongsideย Highly Suspect, it comes as little surprise the Massachusetts rock trio chose to push the relatively under-the-radar Wellesย out into the spotlight, and whatever 2018 brings,ย Wellesย is certainly attracting some well-deserved attention.

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