Been a minute.
I’ve actually tried once or twice to get back to it but the fact of the matter is I haven’t been listening to much music lately, and what I have listened to I really couldn’t be bothered to write about. As I said in previous posts, the idea of listening to music only to have to jot up notes and thoughts later put me off altogether. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean I spent a whole summer without a single song. I did write a few scraps which you’ll see over the coming days.
Between this and the annual payment going through for the website domain, I’ve realised that I need a good kick up the arse. So this is what’s going to happen for October. Over the next thirty-one days, I am going to write thirty-one little pieces. Could be about a song I’ve been anticipating that’s just been released, could be about a record in my collection, could be something radio-related. Whatever the case, something will be written every day this month.
And to start things off, we have a band who I have been waiting to hear new material from for a good long while:
Welly, “Skinny Boy”
If there’s one thing that I’ve become increasingly aware of about the music world these past few years, it’s that you need to pick your moment. How long do you leave your latest piece of work in the fridge before it gets stale? Some of the modern bands who I play on the radio aren’t hanging about. Barbara for example, just released their debut album last year and already they’ve given us three new singles ahead of the sophomore.
But Welly have taken their time. Their debut record Big in the Suburbs did the rounds, got good reviews, was supported by a humble headline tour (including one date in North Shields where muggins here broke a sweat jumping along to the songs), and the odd televised showing teased some new music.
And so we waited, and waited. Time passed. Radio silence on the socials.
Until September. New tour, new merch, new music. Worth the wait?
…Still trying to make my mind up about it, to tell you the truth.
“Skinny Boy” opens by giving the folks of my generation flashbacks to the music classroom in Year 8. That damned DJ button on the keyboards. At least Welly had the good graces not to throw that orgasmy YEAH sound into the mix. But it heralds a bit of a tweak in the band’s sound, giving less prominence to the guitars and more to the keyboards, meaning things are more dance than rock this time around. I’m sure that’ll be great live, but recorded? Again, trying to make my mind up. The lyrics are still sharp as ever though, with the observant Welly noticing Sylvia Platt books on the way from the suburbs to the clubs.
By their own admission, they were going for a Ray-Davies-meets-Underworld kind of vibe. I guess that qualifies as modern Britpop? I’ll be playing it on Saturday regardless. In the meantime, I’m sure that with a few more listens I’ll come round to things and accept the new and improved Welly. But I might need another single to fully come to terms with it. Sooner rather than later, eh?
