Croeso! Welcome to CLASH’s monthly roundup of new Welsh music. In this edition, we explore the finest recent releases from up-and-coming Welsh artists. In another genre-spanning installment, we take the opportunity to evaluate a range of exceptional new releases, from cutting-edge rock and roll to radiant dance music and dystopian neofolk. It's a true feast of diverse Welsh delights.
In addition to the albums and EPs featured here, last month brought outstanding new tracks from Malika Blu, The Bug Club, Mace The Great, Airflo, Das Koolies, Sage Todz, The Gentle Good, Ailsa Tully, The Family Battenberg, Blactrix, and many others. Check out the following list to see the latest happenings in the dynamic and continuously evolving Welsh music scene.
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Himalayas – ‘Bad Star’
Himalayas are on the rise. The Cardiff-based quartet delivers a powerful style of digi-rock characterized by distorted riffs, cool vocals, and a contemporary production aesthetic as grand as the mountains they are named after.
Influenced by bands like late-period QOTSA, Royal Blood, and Death From Above 1979, ‘Bad Star’ features 10 tracks that are all standout rock and roll, ready to be showcased on major stages. The band has experience in this arena, having opened for Foo Fighters at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. In another display of their potential, Himalayas have also collaborated with AC/DC’s Bryan Johnson on an upcoming 2024 single. This collection radiates confidence from a group poised for significant success.
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Douvelle19 – ‘Love Me Not’
Currently a prominent newcomer in the Welsh electronic music scene, RCA Records-signed Douvelle19 creates sophisticated dance music infused with soul and emotion. His latest EP, ‘Love Me Not’, embodies the post-genre sound that defines the UK rave landscape today; it comprises five tracks that seamlessly blend house, garage, and pop with remarkable skill.
Standout moments include the fast-paced, alluring opener ‘Alone’, showcasing expert mood and texture, along with the atmospheric closer ‘Crawl’, evoking the feeling of pressing your head against a window while traveling, observing the summer sun either rising or setting. A beautiful new release from a significant emerging Welsh talent.
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Breichiau Hir – ‘Y Dwylo Uwchben’
Breichiau Hir merges two strands of contemporary Welsh rock: the sweeping indie/alt sounds of Los Campesinos! and The Joy Formidable with the post-hardcore influences of Funeral For A Friend and Holding Absence. Their second album, ‘Y Dwylo Uwchben’, offers another gripping, dynamic collection of heavy alt rock, characterized by sharp, cold guitars and an ever-present atmosphere of melancholy.
As you delve into the expansive 11 tracks, the work of renowned Welsh painter Kyffin Williams comes to mind, whose washed-out, expressive and moody landscapes seem to be (perhaps unconsciously) echoed in Breichiau Hir’s music. This marks a fantastic advancement for one of the most intriguing and ambitious Welsh-language acts currently active, leaving a lasting impression, regardless of language comprehension.
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Tânahanner – ‘Obedience’
Now for something a bit different. Here we have an intriguing release from the West Walian group Tânahanner. The band describes their debut as “dark folk reminiscent of London’s World Serpent distribution era.” World Serpent was a pivotal label known for releasing records from artists like Death In June and Current 93; it featured challenging and unpredictable music ranging from industrial noise to ethereal neofolk. ‘Obedience’ belongs firmly in the latter category, presenting a collection of gothic folk rock that evokes foreboding senses of a pagan apocalypse. This record captures the essence of the land it originates from in a seemingly magical manner.
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James & The Cold Gun – ‘Face In The Mirror’
Next is our second straightforward rock release featured in this column. This is the new album from Cardiff's James & The Cold Gun, who produce sharp garage rock that draws comparisons to The Hives, The Vines, and even a touch of The Bronx at their most anthemic. ‘Face In The Mirror’ is packed with engaging tracks, ranging from the heavy biker rock riffs of ‘Cut the Brakes’ to the evocative visions of ‘Blood Red Sky’, concluding with the bluesy, sultry ‘Meet My Maker’.
There is something exhilarating about the quartet’s dedication to a style of rock and roll complete with leather jackets and sunglasses worn indoors. Its vibrant energy and heartfelt songwriting ensure that ‘Face In The Mirror’ feels fresh rather than clichéd, charging forward into the Welsh landscape on a roaring motorbike.
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Waldo Jeffers & Stef Dale – ‘Me + I’
This month’s final entry is a delightful new EP from Waldo Jeffers and Stef Dale. The recurring theme of Welsh rock influences continues here, as ‘
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With ‘Never/Know,’ Luke Pritchard revisits the core of The Kooks’ sound, merging genuine analog warmth, emotional honesty, and soulful spontaneity. He draws upon themes of fatherhood, personal loss, and a longing to reconnect with the essence that initiated the band’s journey two decades ago.
If you had mentioned to me in 2017 that the drummer from Big Thief would be launching an album that experiments with future bass, African rhythms, and unconventional electronica, I would have been surprised.
Croeso! Wreial yma i drafod cylchlythyr misol CLASH am y cerddoriaeth newydd yn Gymraeg. Yma, rydym yn archwilio'r rhyddhiadau gorau gan artistiaid newydd o Gymru. Mewn un arall