THE WELLERMEN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘HOMEWARD BOUND’ TO BE RELEASED ON MARCH 12TH FEATURING THE NEW SINGLE ‘SAMHAIN’

A band forged in the white heat of technology, telling tales as old as time, The Wellermen’s rise has seen them amass 270 million+streams, sell out several tours in both the UK and US, and attract the attention of Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and John Oliver. Now the Transatlantic group expand their creative vision with the release of their new album, ‘Homeward Bound’, on March 12th – their first collection of original self-written material. They launched the record alongside the new single ‘Samhain’. 

From ‘Captain Caroline’, a tale of a pirate ship’s cat, to boldly taking a leap of faith to start your own life journey with ‘Mom I’m Going’, all the way to the album’s closing title track, an evergreen capturing of homesickness – these sound like the kind of tunes that have been sung in pubs and bars from Bolton to Boston over centuries. That timelessness is infused by a rich tapestry of diverse influences spanning the band’s varied backgrounds in the UK and North America, from cowboy ballads, bluegrass, and Appalachian folk song to the songwriting of Nick Drake and Richard Thompson. 
 
The Wellermen’s Jonny Stewart says, “It’s an album that is true to us as people and our tastes. We all contain multitudes but if you had to put us in a box, Luke Taylor is the country boy, Sam Pope is the sea shanty-loving pirate, Seb Payne is the mystic, Bobby Waters is the metal bass and I’m the Celt. We can see each other in each of the songs, but we’ve synthesised it all to be The Wellermen.”
 
The album’s lead single ‘Samhain’ sets the quintet’s rich, exquisitely textured vocals to a haunting folk backdrop. Fittingly for Halloween weekend it tackled the evocation of a witches’ coven: itself a metaphor for a beguiling, high danger love.
 
Seb adds, “Named after the ancient Gaelic harvest festival that turned into modern day Halloween, it follows a person who happens to stumble across a witches’ coven (which was the original title of the song). They are mystified and enchanted by a woman involved in the ritual, who quickly takes possession over him, heart and soul.”

The accompanying video translates the song’s themes into a surreal folk horror visual. The mysterious figure from the album cover, face obscured by an old school diving helmet, is beguiled by the seductive moves of a beautiful dancer. Yet as the song unfolds, the pair morph into ever more disturbing forms. 

The album began after a gig in Ohio in 2025, when The Wellermen made the most of a week off from touring by hiring a cabin in the woods and deciding to write songs together. The more they wrote, the more they discovered that they could create a cohesive set of songs. Not that it restricts itself to any one mood or style. ‘Starlings’ is a beautiful, resolutely British tune written by Sam after watching a murmuration of the birds in Brighton. Meanwhile, ‘Weeping Willow’, written by Pennsylvania native Luke, is a reflection on loneliness and doubt, sounds like it could have come from an old cowboy movie.
 
The Wellermen’s roots started in 2021 when the Scottish singer Nathan Evans recorded himself singing the sea shanty ‘Wellermen’. It became a viral hit on TikTok as people added their own versions, from which The Wellermen emerged. As the sea shanty craze took off and interest in them intensified, they recorded their self-titled debut album in their individual home studios without ever meeting in person.

Their first performance together was on the back of a cruise ship and the reaction was instant, with a room full of people singing the shanties back to them. It was a modest yet powerful start which has taken them to much bigger stages, such as Murrayfield Stadium at the Scotland v England Six Nations match, The BRIT Awards, and the BBC’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. Last night they played a sold-out London show at the Union Chapel.
 
‘Homeward Bound’ is now available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. The band’s official store and select indie retailers offer a gatefold coloured vinyl with a booklet, and there are also gatefold black vinyl and digipak CD formats.