Lennon Wells first caught my attention last year when they supported iconic Australian band Jet celebrating 20 years since the release of their album ‘Get Born’ in Hobart – a special night bejewelled by the visible appearance of the spectacular Aurora Australia in the skies that evening. They put on an incredibly immersive performance lead by their charismatic and animated lead singer who prowled, cajoled and threw himself around the stage. Presciently, I comared them to fellow Taswegians A. Swayze and the Ghosts with the level of commitment to entertaining and the post punk vibes, threaded through a whiff of bluesy riffs.
I say presciently because the band has just released their debut album ‘Blink (and you’ll miss it)’ produced by said A. Swayze (following the success of his stunning solo debut), and it’s an aural blast of goodness.
First track (and single) ‘No Kings’ is swaggering rampant track that high steps its way into your ears over a rolling piano with a bluesy swing before launching into a celestial chorus that sparkles like the midnight skies over the southern island. There is an arched eyebrow, hand on the hip insouciance threaded throughout the song, an inflexion of glam theatricality with a layered chorus and chugging guitars. There is a gospel glow to the delivery.
The themes are dark. Drummer Sam Forsyth says
No Kings lays reference to the ongoing struggle against the powers that be. The abuse of power that runs rife within our political system feels like it’s coming to a peak, though perhaps it’s felt like that for every generation. Now feels like the right time for us to say something about it
Singer Ben Wells adds:
To be honest we feel fed up with the way the world is at the moment, and the thought of raising our kids in it is scary as hell. The disappearing middle class, the rich getting richer & the fact it all feels helpless. This song is our take on the situation & an encouragement to keep pushing back. It feels like we’re on the precipice & there is going to be a fall, only question is whether it’s us or them.
It’s a visceral, rampant message delivered in a fast paced boogie of extremely satisfying indulgence.
The accompanying video is a brilliant performance piece capturing the magnetic personalties of the band, tinged with a little deprecating sense of humour but intense and immersive and very cleverly executed:
‘Baddie (ft the DK Effect)’ is a perky high stepping blast of sunshine with tones of Talking Heads with its vocal delivery and funky splashing guitars and a whole semi-truck load of swagger and attitude and a soaring romantic chorus. The band displays a luminescent level of pop sensibility – a heady mix of funk and soul. ‘Take A Year’ adds a little glam stomp to the mix with scything guitars blasting out a thoroughly cathartic solo and another epic chorus.
A wall of feedback and and ambulant bass introduces ‘Gotta Be Something’ before a splashing synth bounces in with a psychedelic sheen redolent of Pink Floyd.
Wells’s vocals are louche and sardonic as he sings:
Your body is a work of art but goddam your heart is a landmine
The Hammond organ sound rips a mind-bending solo and continues to provide a sonic buoyancy throughout. Just try keeping your feet still to this one. Six minutes of majestic rock.
‘Honey You’ll Always be Home’ is a diversion into alt country twang before the band launches into a boogie-woogie inferno in ‘TNF’, a bluesy swagger that would make ZZ Top proud, featuring a rowdy chant, a barrel full of fun and an explosive end.
The twang returns in the reflective ‘Waiting on A Call’ – filled with a gentle wistful melancholia and a floating instrumentation that is cinematic with the shimmering guitars.
‘Hey Michael’ is a melodic blast – an absolute standout with its majestic piano rumble and soaring chorus: an anthemic gem that is stirring and theatrical. It’s a pop masterclass threaded with an air of melancholy and an angelic chorus of backing vocals that creates a wide-screen sonic blast.
‘Come To The Light’ coasts on a driving rhythm, a relentless energy with Wells’s vocals exhorting, backed by a chorus. A fuzzy wild guitar solo rips apart the track before Wells proselytises like a manic preacher in a spoken section: angry and expressive. The track ascends into a chaotic angry chaos that is cathartic as wells yells you’re not wanted anymore with passionate violence. The track leaves us in a psychedelic swirl, the vocals still reverberating around our head.
This segues into the final title track ‘Blink’ that has an effect of being a gentle come down, a gentle piano splash and wailing guitars in the distance, Wells’s vocals all of a sudden subtle and delicate, almost cracked and brittle. It’s a fitting finale to a very exciting album.
‘Blink (and you’ll miss it’)’ is an innovative, diverse and exciting release, every note filled with an insouciant swagger, a touching blast of romanticism and a thread of anger and frustration. It is the sound of a band willing to explore genres and, while influences can be detected in the delivery, it is a sound that is unique and exciting.
‘Blink (and you’ll miss it)’ is out now and available through all the usual sites and the link above. You can catch the band live across Australia- see below for details.
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