Matt LuceyJesse Allen Breckenridge Wells Is an American singer/songwriter/activist/guitarist who has taken the world by storm in recent years. Jesse began his music career at the age of 11, making his own music and burning it onto CDs. Nothing would stand in the way of this talented musician. Influenced by the likes of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Nirvana, Jesse was enthralled not only by the musicality, but the ability to put complex topics to song.
While Welles played in multiple bands over the years, he would find the most fame through his Instagram and YouTube. Welles would post short, political and social commentary songs online, which immediately took off. From songs about capitalism, meritocracy, the healthcare crisis and whistleblowing, nothing was off topic.
Gaining constant momentum, Welles eventually became a mainstay on our feeds, and beyond. Last year alone, Jesse performed on multiple talkshows, pleated with Dave Matthews and wrote the song “Join Ice” which is on the album I’m reviewing today. He was honoured with the Spirit of Americana Award last year and was nominated for multiple categories at the Emmys. All the while, Welles continued to be active online, putting out songs in relation to many major events. The Album Masks Off, released this year, marks his 9th album.
Lead up and production
Jesse tends to release new songs as they’re relevant. This particular LP is partly written with the purpose of this album but the rest is made up of singles. Jesse had been posting for some time, releasing parts of the album with the captions nodding ot the “All Masks Off” title.
The writing, recording and sourcing was all done by Welles himself, with the production being done by Eddie Spear. This leaves Jesse with total musical and lyrical freedom, something he would sacrifice if he had to compromise. With no Label related to the release, Jesse takes full credit for the release and success of this album.
“Masks off”
This jumps straigh into a folk rock vibe. With just vocals and guitar, there’s nothing for the lyrics to hide behind here. The message is immediately critical of the current system, mocking the concept of political powers and societal movements selling merchandise. The song itself discusses the idea of the population having become numb to the spiralling state of the world. With the main message centering around the ruling class no longer hiding their evil because everyone knows and nothing will change. Welles also mentions the “Delusions of Freedom”, a dig at the fact that voting may change who’s in charge, but not what the country is doing. Through all of this, Jesse blends his message with great vocals and beats, as well as a great guitar track. There’s also a guitar solo, which caught me off guard. Overall, incredible lyrics, great music, fantastic intro to the album and Jesse’s intentions with this album.
“Join Ice”
This one isn’t subtle. ICE, the American Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have been heavily featured in the news for some time now. The group, under current leadership, has been known to round up civilians, detain innocents, deport employees and generally stir civil unrest for cash. In addition, they have been actively and desperately recruiting. With promises of enormous sign on bonuses and very little requirements, save disdain for the populous, ICE was an opened target for Welles.
“Red”
The guitar on this track is really lovely, paired with the drums. This leads into Jesse’s vocals, where he sings about the conversion of everything into red. This is in reference to the fickle allegiances of those in power. Jesse notes here that, while the country fights over Red vs Blue, those at the top can rise above the labels. We also get a reference to Musk demonstrating a Nazi salute in support of the US president. The harmonica in this track sounds more hopeless, slow and less upbeat than in other tracks. It’s clear that Welles has strong feelings about this topic and sees the divide for what it is.
Conclusion
Jesse Welles is just incredible. His ability to put such grim subjects into such brilliant music pieces is mesmerising. His careful deconstruction of critical topics. I listen to everything that this guys makes and have yet to be disappointed. I hope he continues to do exactly what he’s doing.
