They’ve received comparisons to Joy Division and Nadine Shah, gained support from Guy Garvey and released a very strong debut with ‘Stain’. Now, indie rock newcomers Dead Wells are back with the wonderfully bleak ‘Cold Seas’.

The track quickly sets a huge riff in place where everything locks into a groove that feels indebted to post punk, despite the guitar lines offering a huge amount of late 60s inspired reverb. That should be enough for some listeners to be interested in record time, but the dark magic really comes into its own once the vocal takes centre stage. Frontman Oli Mellor adopts a deep croon, drawing from Ian Curtis and Peter Alexander Jobson, but has his own style too, which is informed by the way his voice almost appears to crack when delivering the deeper sounds. It’s also interesting how a stylistic choice has been made to half bury the vocal within the huge riff, which obviously makes this performance feel a little claustrophobic, which further adds to the bleak atmosphere.

It’s one of those singles that fans of the style will love from first listen, but subsequent spins uncover something much richer, and the sound of a band who deserve to be big within indie and goth circles in 2027.

Take a listen below.