Some say life as a bartender offers a perspective and life experience that few other jobs could claim to match.
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For Benjamin Wells, the stint opening up a bar with a few mates refocused his work/life balance and reignited his creative spark for music.
Wells said that time spent pouring drinks into the early hours of the morning had proved productive to refuelling his desire to make a band.
"My previous band Skate Wounds had come to an end and I'd been working on opening a bar and music venue with a few mates," he said.
"It's quite a bit of work opening a venue so that pretty much took up all my time and it didn't leave me much room to be creative.
"After a couple of years working hard at the bar, I was able to balance my work/life a little better. I found, once that was in check, I realised how much I had to write about and had a really creative stint for six months which ended up being this EP."
With a new passion for music locked in, Wells knew he had to find a few mates to make that dream become a reality.
A five-piece band which relishes in rock with a country styling packed which produces some toe-tapping tracks about remorse, lament and love among other things.
"Putting the band together was an interesting process. It started with Sam Forsyth and I in the studio developing the ideas," he said.
"This was over the COVID lockdown so we weren't really allowed to have anyone else in there. Once the lockdown lifted we added Matt Doyle, Dave Lee and Scott Targett."
"I'm lucky to be playing with such wildly talented musicians. Everyone brings something unique to the project, but I feel Matt's country guitar style of playing influenced the songs in particular."
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Debut single Slowly Dying possesses an a self-assured, irrepressible swagger that shines through in rock heavy tracks but the follow-up track delivers in a slightly different vein.
Slowly Dying was an up-tempo track and a definite toe-tapper with its punchy drums and fast rifts rolling against Benjamin Wells vocals for an energetic single.
At its core, the track is a two-sided reflection conveying the ponderance of "whether or not I thought I'd spent the years well" in the hazy times of Wells' 20-something years against a desire to "live in the moment".
It's up-beat and entirely listenable, but at the heart is a relatability which carries the song beyond just another track on a Spotify playlist.
It's a question many have found themselves facing and, as COVID-19 continues to toy with the fabric of everyday life, is a question a generation of 20-somethings are asking right now.
Money on me is an ode to a relationship that endured the travails of a mental health battle and came out the other side better for it.
"[It is] about the way I was dealing with my mental health a few years back. I felt like I could tackle it all on my own, my partner Nicki had been encouraging me to talk to a therapist," he said.
"She stuck by me the whole time, no matter how self-destructive I was. Really, this song is a thank you to her."
Wells' vocals ring through and convey the lament of a man who wants to be indestructible yet can't escape his vulnerabilities.
The organ and cruising drumbeat takes the high-tempo nature of the debut single down a peg, but with good effect. The simplified nature brings the focus towards the message which shines in this track.
The difference is subtle but it showcases a nuanced vulnerability that should excite fans of the band ahead of the EP release later this year.
Those two tracks shape as the centrepiece of an the upcoming EP which is set to have at least one more single released.
Wells hinted another track, Comparisons, is set to make its mark at the end of August in the lead-up to the anticipated release.
She stuck by me the whole time, no matter how self-destructive I was. Really, this song is a thank you to her.
- Benjamin Wells
The process to finalising the EP has been over a year in the making but Wells said the journey had been an enjoyable one.
The only temptation is getting too "carried away" in the creative process.
"The EP has been quite a slow drawn out process but that hasn't bothered us, we haven't felt any pressure to rush it which feels nice. Fingers crossed we'll have it out by the end of the year though," he said.
"I've really enjoyed the creative process! Not having any real time line or pressure to release anything is nice.
"I feel so comfortable around the other guys in the band, we have a lot of freedom to put out whatever we want. It's been great working with Al Campbell on this record too!"
The band has navigated a strange new music scene which is dictated as much by the coronavirus pandemic as anything else.
That involved a trip up the highway to Launceston, where Lennon Wells experienced a vocal and passionate crowd at Bakers Lane in July.
Under COVID-safe regulations, Lennon Wells delivered the full throttle performance they have become known for across the Tasmania music scene.
The images from that night are almost a throwback to a time pre-COVID, which feels eons ago. Where nights out with friends were normal and dancing at a live gig was as much a foregone conclusion as it was common place.
"Bakers Lane is great! We had never played in Launceston before so it was amazing to have such a receptive crowd for our first show. It's great to see venues like Bakers continue to put on shows and support live local music," Wells said.
Wells had remarked before about the importance of live music to the band.
It is common for a band to thrive on-stage in front of crowds and the adrenalin of playing live, the live sound itself is important to the band.
At the centre of each track during the production stage has been a remit to make the song sound as it would live, a simple and unassuming concept which denotes itself in the rawness of their two tracks so far.
"We all really love playing live, so expect a big live show. I'm not playing much guitar on this record so that frees me up to run around a bit which I'm really enjoying," Wells said previously.
In the new normal of restrictions, lockdowns and masks, Lennon Wells are hoping to make their mark on the mainland soon.
"We've got a pretty stacked schedule coming up. We're playing our first Melbourne show on September 3 at Cherry bar," Wells said.
"We had Sydney, Byron and Brisbane shows booked as well but had to cancel due to COVID, supporting the Merlocs in October and then a few big festival shows that will be announced soon."
Lennon Wells are ready to take off from the Apple Isle and make waves in the deep end of Australian music.
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