photo credit: Jordan Geiger
On September 25 Fuller, Los Angeles-based alternative artist will release his debut EP Crush Me (pre-order). Fuller is the single vision of John Patrick Welsh. On his forthcoming release, he merges a lifelong diet of post-punk, alt pop, and indie rock. The result is clever songs packed with tongue-in-cheek musings on love, loss, and the condition of the modern millennial – all in a decisively addicting package.
Today Fuller has shared “Crush Me,” the latest single to be lifted from his debut EP with PopMatters and the song will be on all streaming platforms on Thursday. “Crush Me” enlists a driving bass line and soaring hook to explore the excitement and anticipation surrounding a life away from the safety of a traditional career. About the song, Welsh says, “‘Crush Me’ is a song about running head first into life. It’s about not fearing failure, because never trying would be the biggest failure of all. Live your life. Have fun. Don’t take yourself to seriously, ya know?”
In a close brush with a life consumed by legalese and copy machines, Welsh narrowly avoided law school and began his artistic pursuits in Austin, TX. After a few years playing with bands in countless Lonestar-fueled live shows (and sharing the stage with indie darlings the likes of Ramesh (Voxtrot), Swimming With Bears, Go Fever), Welsh started writing and recording the songs that would become the beginnings of Fuller.
After moving to Los Angeles at the start of 2019, he began work with Eric Palmquist (Half-Alive, Tate McRae & Bad Suns) on Crush Me. In March he released the EP’s first single, “Favorite Poison.” The track was a viral success on TikTok, received over 200,000 plays on streaming platforms and was featured in heavy rotation on specialty radio. Delving into the depths of a romance fated for failure and carried by an optimistic energy, “Favorite Poison” skips the heartbreak and jumps into the joyous ignorance of youth and reckless infatuation.
