Welly - Big In The Suburbs

Generally speaking, there are a few essential ingredients to the recipe for great pop-rock: relatable, accessible, pleasingly low-brow lyricism; referential, recognisable sonic touchstones; and a charismatic, idiosyncratic frontperson orchestrating the whole parade. For Southampton-via-Brighton upstart Welly, that’s a three out of three hit rate. Having spent the past twelve months peddling his winking sonic wares across England’s green and pleasant lands - backed by his trusty band of fellow rabble rousing scamps - the project’s eponymous vocalist has taken up said musical mantle in earnest, delivering a debut album that’s ironic, immediate, and unashamedly catchy.

Picking up the baton from the likes of Pulp, Blur, and latterly Sports Team or Home Counties, he documents the details of modern suburbia with a keen eye and wry humour, variously skewering consumer culture (‘Shopping’), Brits abroad (‘Soak Up The Culture’) and staling middle aged relationships (‘Pampas Grass’). And underneath this seemingly endless supply of lyrical zingers is an alchemical blend of new wave verve and Britpop strut; yes, the musical fingerprints of Welly’s forebears are evident, but this is pastiche at its finest - self-aware, fun, whipsmart, and witty. At 14 tracks, ‘Big In The Suburbs’’ Southern Rail-sponsored train does perhaps run out of steam slightly by its end, but ultimately there’s no denying that on this debut record, Welly really gives it some.