Dave Wells

His debut self-titled album showcases an emotional gravitas and immersive melodic and sonic palate beyond his years. Yet the sense of a deep seated drive in Wells oozes ‘What I can do, I must do. NOW’.

Rarely dissected by breakout artists, Wells’ transmutation from songwriter to recording artist is an extension of “always critically reflecting on what I’ve done. Songwriting is a creative journey”, always up for continual reassessment. “I’m always looking back thinking, ‘Okay, what are you going to do now? What are you going to do better?”

First single, ‘Run Free’, released back in 2017 (and written over a much longer period), coincided with Wells performing at Dashville’s The Gum Ball 2017. It became the mission statement of quality for the rest of the album, “It was really the first song that we thought, ‘That’s sweet’. ” kickstarting Wells’ ‘never-ending quest for perfection’ in the studio.

To self-actualise an artistic dream, to create an album is no small feat and requires the ambition and the perfectionism Wells freely admits too. He’s had his ups and downs in recent years, his father passing away, “a lot of personal hurdles... real life experiences you don’t expect” - which pushed him away from music for a time after releasing a pair of EP’s with Sketching Cato. His 2014 EP, On Carrington Street drew him back into ‘lots of gigging’ and finding his place within Maitland’s The Grand Junction scene, as part of bands Baghead and Dashville Progress Society.

“It’s been a gradual thing for me, as I’ve always worked full time, even from my first band. Music, songwriting, as a career isn’t an easy choice. That probably speaks for all the arts. From writers to musicians to visual arts, we’re finding it challenging to balance work life and creative life. Then there’s the business side, essentially running your own business.”

The well-worn cliché goes ‘You take your whole life to write your first album’, and Wells admits that it is a challenge to wrangle songs from different writing periods into an album. “You’ve got songs written from a year or two before, or a month before. Then the recording process could take another year or more. You come out at the end of it with a product people are hearing for the first time – but you’ve been writing and listening to it for a couple of years.”

He admits that the nature of collating songs from different time periods was challenging. “What I was writing then, is not what I’m writing now. I’m looking back on what I’ve just done… saying ‘Is that me?’. I think it’s me. I’m happy with the result.”

Recording with Robbie Long at Long’s Funky Lizard Studios in Kotara - Wells credits Long as a “really good team mate, mentor and support” to the process. “I found it hugely important to have a great producer with great musicianship also. It’s good to have someone saying,

‘That’s not going to work’ or ‘Let’s try it’ and trust their voice.” He admits his steely determination to continually refine the vision may have grated on his production partner.

A self-described perfectionist, Wells admits that the recording process ‘didn’t go as expected’. “I thought ‘I’ve got these 12–15 songs, these are definite, I’ll go in and smash all these out… this is how I want it done and this is how I’m gonna do it.’ And it didn’t go like that. It’s almost as if the song drives you and takes you somewhere. Some things worked, some things didn’t. I remember realising, sometimes it’s not always about what I can control.”

One particular song, which transformed in the studio was ‘Falling Out of Love’. The song touches upon “an uncomfortable discussion between a couple” and Wells admits it’s ‘awkward’ to not over describe a song and to ‘allow some space for the listener to interpret the song themselves’. “My parents divorced when I was young and I was thinking about that awkward transition between a couple. It already had that emotion tied to it, that heartbreaking realisation that whatever we had is gone.” Renowned Australian drummer Steve Fearnley (The Flood) made quick work of recording his part “Before we recorded, we discussed the idea of him playing brushes into drums into sticks, and in two takes, he nailed it. Just a regular Tuesday night”, Wells laughs.

‘The Long Night’ was the quickest track Wells has ever written. Reminiscing on a night out with ‘The Junkyard’ crew (of Maitland’s Grand Junction Hotel) for mate Jess Hartigan’s birthday - it’s a tale of how a “quiet night with $20 in my pocket” becomes folklore between friends. “There’s a tale there of that night, things I remember doing, singing songs, dancing, making cocktails in the kitchen… waking up with a good hangover, probably because I was still drunk”, he reflects. “I’m glad I didn’t go home and I just went with it.” Wells said it felt like five minutes, ‘but in actual songwriting time, probably was a couple of hours’.

Wells isn’t one to shy away from the tough times as an artist, admitting his confidence has “never really been good, to be honest. In the arts, you’re faced with a lot of self doubt, people are gonna judge you constantly, whether it’s how you look, how you sound, what you write about. I still feel a level of self-doubt with the new album.” Yet he is shooting for the stars anyway, unafraid to take the listener on an inventive, intensely personal journey, citing the vision of ‘Cruel Little World’ as a perfect example of going big or going home. “It’s quite an obscure song in some ways. Robbie put the mandolin down at the start, like this warm folk pop rock song, then Fearnley comes in with the drums… big harmonies and that big Pink Floyd-psychedelic ending.”

Wells launched his self-titled album to a sold-out crowd in late August at Newcastle’s 48 Watt St. The night featured a full band and special guest As of Sky. In a nod to Wells’ deep seated focus and ambition, the night kicked off with Wells partaking in a Writers’ Festival style Q and A with well-respected Australian entertainment journalist and author Nick Milligan that led into the opening track of the night. Filmed for future release, Wells is forging his own path.

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