The Oh Wells Release Sweet EP

White Rock indie-popsters The Oh Wells release Not That Girl From Transformers, an EP that is both sweet and substantial.

High school - and the teenage years in general - mean different things for different people. For most kids it means everything from tests and stress to awkward crushes and drama with best friends. But for Sarah Jickling, high school meant the beginning of her band. During the winter break of her grade 11 year, she first recorded music with a friend and posted it up on a Myspace page under the name The Oh Wells. Upon returning to school, she found that she effectively flipped around her high school life and found a much sought after outlet.
 
“High school was a huge time for The Oh Wells. I was very, very shy in high school,” says Jickling. “I was afraid, and when I started The Oh Wells, suddenly I was able to express myself in front of people who I used to be afraid of and they liked it and I got positive feedback. I think The Oh Wells, for me, meant turning high school from something that was kind of terrifying and not very much fun into a place that I could express myself and I actually found some friends after that, so it was great.”
 
It’s been a few years since that fateful winter break, but the same things that inspired The Oh Wells eleventh grade Myspace page have gone on to inspire a debut indie-pop EP, Not That Girl From Transformers. The EP contains some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard lately and quirky lyrics. For a band that is easily (and often) labelled as “cute,” The Oh Wells’ songs also show an almost ironic sense of maturity. They have an undeniable ability to apply to a myriad of teenage experiences, which was exactly the aim.
 
“My goal is to let the listeners know that they’re not alone,” says Jickling. “If I have someone listen to my EP and feel like there’s someone else who feels the same emotions as them in the world, then I’ve done my job.”

Jickling has come a long way from being a shy teenager and The Oh Wells have proven to be fiercely and unapologetically themselves in every aspect of their music. Lyrically, this EP is the equivalent of a long talk with your friends, and musically, it’s the equivalent of eating cotton candy in the sun. All in all, it makes for a truly sweet combination.