Armed with his trusty white Gibson Flying V and his corkscrew hair, Perth-born, Melbourne-based power pop boy wonder Wesley Fuller releases his debut album INNER CITY DREAM on 22nd September through UK indie label 1965 Records, with the aptly-titled first single #1 SONG being released to radio on XX June.
Coming a year on from the brash debut EP, MELVISTA, Fuller wrote, recorded, mixed and produced almost all of INNER CITY DREAM by himself at various studios in Melbourne, including the one he has operating in his house. Bassist Brendan West and guitarist Liam Hopkins from Fuller’s live band and vocalists Cate Woodfield and Simone Kieruj added sweeteners to some tracks.
INNER CITY DREAM features twelve tracks of swirling psych, jangly pop and punchy, crunchy glam that show off Fuller’s broadening sonic palette and his progression as a writer and producer.
He explains: “MELVISTA was really my first solo expedition and I was learning as I went along. I think by the time I came to record the album I had a better technical knowledge of what I was doing. There's probably a wider span of influences on the album. I wanted to showcase every aspect of my sound.”
As well as his steady diet of 70s junk shop glam and bubblegum, Fuller’s regular DJ slots around the Melbourne rock scene’s favourite dive bars produced a new fascination for the polyrhythmic ways of Talking Heads during their late-70s/early-80s peak. It inspired Fuller to make tunes of his own that would make people boogie.
“To get people down to shows you’ve gotta write songs that get people moving, dancing, moshing or evoke some kind of physical response. Getting the arrangement right is everything. I wanted INNER CITY DREAM to have clarity and definition within the arrangements. I want people to be able to feel the pulse and every instrument to punch through.”
Lyrically, Fuller has also progressed. Moving on from the teenage lust of much of MELVISTA, INNER CITY DREAM presents the worldview of a young man trying to come to terms with his place, both physically and symbolically.
“I moved to Melbourne from Perth in 2013 and was naturally drawn to the inner north creative scene. I became immersed in it whilst still working a full time day job in the CBD” Fuller says.
As his house began to rot, Fuller moved away from Melbourne’s creative epicentre, triggering him gaining a new perspective.

“After spending a lot of time living in beautiful yet daggy Toorak, as well as in beautiful, yet untrendy Gisborne, I realised how wrapped up so many people (for a while myself included) were in living the inner city dream. I felt that my whole world and all my attitudes were being shaped within a bubble. I was caught between the expectations and attitudes of my creative inner city friends and the aspirational suburban people I worked with.”
“Is it worth chasing the dream? Will I be happier spending half of my pay renting a basic room in a share house in the inner north? Do I focus on quality of life or trying to make a start on owning some form of assets? What can our generation realistically expect our futures to hold? 2017 is an almost surreal time to exist in.”
“The songs and themes found on the album stem from those experiences and scenarios.”
Fuller has already started demoing tracks and playing with ideas for his second album, though it may be some time off. The concepts on INNER CITY DREAM and world events have started him thinking about what else could be around the corner.
“I think the next few years will be a very interesting time for pop music. The world is in a crazy state right now and it feels as though something will have to give pretty soon. There's plenty to write about. But do people want to hear protest songs or do they want to escape reality? Perhaps there's a new sound around the corner. Who will turn on the light?”

Re: #1 Song
Immediately infectious lead single #1 SONG finds Fuller turning his observational eye towards the far off universe that is the upper echelon of modern pop.
“I think everyone in the scene knows to a certain extent that it's all bullshit. So why take it too seriously? You've got some artists with 20 tracks in the Top 30. The gap between the big stars and the indie bands are worlds apart.”
He adds: “There's really no money in music at all unless you're at the very top. To get there you have to compromise your dignity and be prepared to release some pretty pedestrian shit.”