What began as an unexpected moment of internet history has evolved into a remarkable musical journey. Emerging from the viral sea shanty movement of 2021, The Wellermen have transformed an online collaboration into an internationally recognised band, amassing over 270 million streams, selling out tours across the UK and US, and performing on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. Yet beyond the deep vocal harmonies and traditional folk melodies that first captured audiences, the transatlantic quintet have been quietly developing something far more personal. Their forthcoming album, Homeward Bound, arriving on March 12th, marks a defining new chapter as their first collection of entirely original, self-written material.
Born from an impromptu songwriting retreat in a cabin in the Ohio woods, Homeward Bound finds the five musicians exploring themes of belonging, independence, mythology and the emotional complexities of life on the road. Drawing on influences spanning Appalachian folk, bluegrass, Celtic traditions and even heavy metal, the record showcases a creative identity that extends well beyond the sea shanties that brought them together. From the haunting Gaelic folklore of lead single Samhain to the deeply personal reflections of Mom I’m Going and the bittersweet nostalgia of the title track, the album balances timeless storytelling with lived experiences. It is a project shaped as much by friendship and shared ambition as by the individual journeys of its creators.
For The Wellermen, this evolution represents more than a musical departure; it is an opportunity to reveal who they truly are as artists. Speaking to House of Solo, the band reflect on their unconventional beginnings, the challenges of balancing personal lives with international success, their connection to nature and mythology, and the creative freedom that comes with finding their own voice. As they prepare to share their most intimate work to date, Homeward Bound offers a reminder that even the most extraordinary journeys are often defined by the places, people and stories that bring us home.
Your new album, Homeward Bound, marks an important milestone as your first collection of entirely original, self-written material. What inspired you to take this creative leap, and what does this album represent for you collectively at this stage of your journey?
JONNY: It feels like a natural evolution for us as a band. Although we have all written songs independently of the group, during the early days it made sense to lean into the shanties, folk tunes and low bass singing that initially drew listeners to our music. After seeing how fans reacted to the original songs we included on our second album (Northern Sky and Tall Tales), we were keen to write more collaborative originals and put a bit more of “ourselves” at the heart of our music. Homeward Bound, therefore, is a big step into our future as a group, expressing our individualities as part of a common goal.
The album began during a week spent in a cabin in the Ohio woods following a performance in 2025. Take us back to that experience. What was the creative atmosphere like, and was there a particular moment when you realised you were creating something special together?
Each of us has a strong connection to nature, so I would say that writing a large portion of the album surrounded by it definitely had a strong influence. It was a magical experience in many ways, but primarily as a time of recovery and discovery. We did not go to that cabin expecting to write nearly half of what we did, but we were excited to see that we were capable of writing so many songs that we all love. For the first time ever, we had a week together with no schedule… in the woods, on top of that! Sometimes Seb and Sam would come with me for a walk into the woods at night (with no flashlights, to make it extra spooky, of course), and I think that played a role in the making of Samhain.
LUKE: During this legendary week, we met a one-eyed cat called Caroline. We did not know her name for the first few days, so we called her “Pirate Kitty” – her owner eventually told us her name, and Captain Caroline was written shortly after! So much of this album is tied to our love and appreciation of nature.
Your journey began in an extraordinary way, emerging from the viral sea shanty movement on TikTok in 2021. Looking back, did you ever imagine that an online collaboration would evolve into an internationally recognised band with sold-out tours and millions of streams?
JONNY: I often describe our formation as “the happiest accident” – it makes sense in retrospect that people gravitated towards sea shanties during the pandemic, with the repetition and simplicity bringing some much-needed community, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted it beforehand. As for touring, it’s a beautiful butterfly effect. If it weren’t for fans and listeners supporting our early single releases, we’d never have been able to tour; if our first tour hadn’t gone well, or our newer material wasn’t resonating with fans, we wouldn’t have been able to book a USA and Europe tour to promote the Northern Sky album, etc., etc. Having people believe in us as much as we believe in ourselves allows us to keep creating and innovating!
Your debut album was recorded remotely in individual home studios before you had even met in person. How has your creative relationship evolved since then, and what have you discovered about one another through the process of writing and recording Homeward Bound together?
SAM: Other than realising we all have a similar sense of humour after touring together and hanging out in a studio for weeks, the most important thing I’ve discovered is that we all have a strong passion for storytelling. Despite our many varied musical tastes, ranging from country to heavy metal to pop punk to classic folk, etc., the importance of storytelling has been a driving force in the creation of this album. The narratives could be rich, heartfelt, passionate or just silly; it really doesn’t matter. What’s important to us is that we communicate them in a timeless fashion that encourages people to feel!
Each member brings a distinct musical personality, from country and Celtic influences to sea shanties, mysticism and even metal. How do you navigate those different creative perspectives, and have there been moments when an unexpected influence completely transformed a song?
JONNY: Everyone loves their own ideas, and rightly so! Knowing when to listen to someone else’s idea or try something a bit different can elevate a song from good to great. It definitely helps that we’ve spent some time figuring each other out. Personally speaking, my theoretical background means I focus closely on chord voicings and harmony arrangements – this benefits the group more often than not, but I’ve got better at letting go of the “right way” and trusting inspiration in the moment. Samhain is a great example of stylistic fusion; the bridge incorporates some choral pads, Viking-style chanting, Bobby rumbling some low bass notes, eerie whistles and string scrapings, allied with Sebastian’s mystic vision and the pagan festival title.
The title Homeward Bound carries a strong sense of nostalgia, belonging and longing. As a transatlantic band whose members spend considerable time travelling and performing, has your understanding of what home means changed over the years?
Bobby-Homesickness is something we have all experienced on tour; it can get pretty rough and lonely at times. This ended up becoming a pivotal theme throughout the album, with songs exploring a longing for home, difficult times on a journey and finding your way through different periods of your life. The meaning of home has been on our minds for the past few years now, as our travels have increased and our success has led to many exciting new things in the future. If anyone is having a difficult time away from home, I hope that they can find solace in this album.
Your single ‘Samhain’ draws inspiration from ancient Gaelic folklore, exploring themes of enchantment, temptation and dangerous love. What fascinates you about traditional mythology, and how do you transform centuries-old stories into songs that connect with contemporary audiences?
SEB: Folklore and mythology will always resonate, whether we are conscious of it or not. The stories we are told as children are always rooted in this metaphorical landscape and thus shape the framework of our being and day-to-day lives as adults. Samhain returns us to this world, primaeval and ancient – a calling to things half-forgotten, forbidden knowledge and experience. A love, perhaps dangerous, yet irresistible.
There is an interesting emotional contrast across the album, particularly between ‘Mom I’m Going’, which explores the courage to embark on a new journey, and the title track, which reflects on homesickness. Do these songs mirror your own experiences of independence, ambition and the sacrifices that come with pursuing music?
LUKE: This album is extremely personal for all of us! Mom I’m Going was a song that I wrote about moving from the United States to England – about the fears and joys of growing up, charting your own course and chasing a dream. Homeward Bound is a beautiful tune that Sam wrote about having to leave his fiancée (now wife, woohoo!) behind when we went touring, and the bittersweetness of finally returning home. Music on a professional level is fun, but it is also the hardest job I have ever had to do. At times, it feels like I will never get to go home and see the people that I love and care about so much, but in the end, expression is derived from emotion, and I think these experiences have had a considerable effect on the music that we make.
Tracks such as ‘Starlings’, inspired by a murmuration of birds in Brighton, and ‘Weeping Willow’, which explores loneliness and doubt, suggest a strong connection between storytelling, nature and personal reflection. How much of your songwriting comes from lived experiences, and how much is shaped by imagination?
LUKE: Both personal experience and our love for storytelling played a large role in the creation of this album. We love to create mythical characters such as Jimmy the Hustling Pirate and Captain Caroline, but personal experience is what helped guide us along this journey. Weeping Willow and Starlings are both very real and emotive songs that come from personal experiences – Weeping Willow is about my struggles with mental health, while Starlings is about the West Pier in Brighton burning down. I am not sure that this album would have been possible without all of our personal experiences coming together – not only to recount stories and emotions of our own, but also to help us be creative enough to imagine something brand new!
Folk music has always been rooted in storytelling and the passing down of experiences between generations. In an industry increasingly driven by trends, algorithms and short-form content, what do you believe makes traditional storytelling through music so enduring?
LUKE: A story is the heartbeat of a folk song. In my opinion, words are the most incredible thing that humanity has ever created! We are lucky enough today to be able to go back through books and songs to see that people we have never met, from different lifetimes or countries, have felt or experienced something similar to what we have experienced in our own lives. We are fortunate enough to be able to contribute to such a legacy, and I firmly believe that storytelling is one of the many reasons that folk music will continue to be loved by so many.
Your sound draws on everything from Appalachian folk and bluegrass to the songwriting traditions of Nick Drake and Richard Thompson. When approaching Homeward Bound, how conscious were you of expanding beyond the sea shanty sound that first introduced you to the world?
BOBBY: Sea shanties are fun and are the reason we all came together as a group, but we’ve felt a pull in more of a folky direction. It was a very conscious decision. Because of the similarities between the genres, such as the storytelling aspect and similarly styled instruments, it is not a big departure from our original sound, which is helpful for the audience. Expanding our writing in this way allowed us to write more eclectic music and solidify our original sound for this moment in time, as I’m sure that will change again in the future.
Your vocal harmonies are central to your identity as a band. When creating original material, does the songwriting begin with a story, a melody or a vocal arrangement, and how do five distinct voices come together to create something that feels unmistakably like The Wellermen?
SAM: Each song has its own conception and development. This album was the first opportunity we had to write together as a group, so naturally, there was plenty of trial and error when it came to finding the best way to capture each story. We had plenty of ideas and half-finished songs brought to the table by members of the group early on, which gave us a brilliant jumping-off point. Sometimes we’d start with a theme or idea and then build up the music around it; other times, the music would come first and we’d try to match it to a story that seemed appropriate. In the end, it was the input from each of us, be that arranging, lyricism, instrumentation or the like, that shaped this album into a body of work with its own unique identity.
You’ve performed everywhere from intimate venues to major stages, including Murrayfield Stadium, the Royal Albert Hall and the BRIT Awards. Which performance has had the greatest emotional impact on you, and what has connecting with audiences in person taught you that the internet never could?
BOBBY: Our performance at the Róisín Dubh in Galway was one of the shows that hit me the hardest. It was a very packed room, making it much more intimate between us and the audience. There were moments of joining the audience offstage, funny banter with them and a shared energy that rose and rose throughout the night. Moments like that really anchor you to that time and place; you’re not wishing to be somewhere else or lost in thought. Performances like this really make us feel alive, compared with the internet, where all of the humanity from our audience feels covered over by a screen or comment.
With over 270 million streams and a dedicated international following, you’ve achieved something remarkable from relatively unconventional beginnings. Has that success brought pressure to meet certain expectations, particularly as you move into original songwriting, or has it given you greater freedom to explore who you really are as artists?
SAM: I think it’s natural for artists to place a degree of undue pressure on themselves, so there definitely is an element of that! This new album is a deeper glimpse into us as individuals than we’ve shared with our fans before, so of course that comes with a certain amount of anxiety and nerves! If anything, we’re grateful for the reach that the success of songs like Hoist The Colours and The Wellermen has granted to us and our music. We love these new original songs, and we trust that plenty of people out there will too!
As you prepare to introduce audiences to this new chapter with Homeward Bound, what do you hope listeners discover about The Wellermen that they might not have understood before, and where do you see this creative evolution taking you next?
LUKE: I am both excited and nervous for our audience to hear our new music. It’s one thing to perform for a living, but it is a whole new ballpark to be performing and sharing original music. I hope that our music will encourage and inspire other musicians to have the courage to share their own work. Selfishly, I am very excited for our audience to see what we are really capable of! This is a leap for us, but I strongly believe that this is only the beginning! I am so excited for us to keep creating and sharing our love of music with the world.
