Welsh group Ynys share new single ‘Shindig’, new album out this Friday
Ahead of the release of their new album this Friday, Welsh group Ynys share new single ‘Shindig’
Dosbarth Nos (Night Class) out July 12th via Libertino Records
"Fans of the Lemon Twigs will find much to love in this bombastic chamber pop record from Welsh group Ynys." Bandcamp Daily
"There are layered harmonies and pop hooks aplenty and dreamy textures that almost float away on the wind" Shindig! Magazine
This Friday, bilingual Welsh alt-pop group Ynys are set to release their second album Dosbarth Nos (Night Class) via Libertino Records. Over the last two months, the group have shared two Welsh language singles, ‘Aros Amdanat Ti (Waiting For You)’ and ‘Gyda Ni (With Us), earning early support from the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Craig Charles and Huw Stephens, NME, Bandcamp and Shindig!.
Today the group is sharing their new single ‘Shindig’. Of the track, Hughes says:
“I haven’t really worked out what this song is about – the lyrics jump all over the place and it’s a bit surreal; it’s got a few lines that still make me laugh. I think the title came from the fact that I had a Shindig! Magazine on the piano stand for about six months (I really do need to tidy up). I hear a bit of Sparks’ / Talking Heads influence coming through on this track.”
Dosbarth Nos, follows the release of their 2023 Welsh Music Prize shortlisted debut. Recorded live over a period of four days at the picturesque Mwnci Studios in West Wales, the album showcases Ynys' musical evolution - embracing a more energetic and adventurous sound palette with its extraordinary dynamic arrangements, and capturing the essence of the band's live performances.
Dosbarth Nos embodies the culmination of Ynys' creative journey, marking a significant milestone in the project's evolution. Hughes' meticulous approach to songwriting, coupled with the band's collaborative energy, has resulted in an album brimming with intention and newfound confidence.
“When I started writing the songs that would form the debut record, I wasn’t sure I was writing an album and I didn’t think too much about playing the songs live,” says Dylan. “When you’re sitting at the piano it’s easy to let your hands fall onto familiar notes, into their comfort zone, and you end up with a lot of quieter mid-tempo songs,” he continues. “This time, I knew from the outset that I was writing an album and I wanted to try and capture the energy of our live set.”
Most of the songs on Dosbarth Nos, which are sung in a mixture of Welsh and English, began as short piano experiments played on Hughes’ hallway piano in his Aberystwyth home. “I can’t help myself from playing a chord or something whenever I pass it,” he explains. Most of the tracks were written in a fairly short period of time. “I’d booked in the recording session for the album a few months in advance, and I could see that circled out week on the fridge calendar staring back at me every day, which was good motivation.”
“I guess it’s an old rock cliché – going to the Welsh countryside, getting away from the city to record an album,” says Dylan. Having navigated the recording of the first album in shorter sessions over several weekends, sometimes weeks apart, Hughes was keen to take a different approach with this record. Booking five days at a studio, gathering everyone in the same room, and completing the core of the record in one session. “Having played together as a live band for a couple of years now, it felt natural to approach recording this way. We would record two or three songs a day then walk to the village pub, have a pint and put some records on the jukebox – blissful!”
Dosbarth Nos sounds like an album that was written with intention and a new found sense of confidence. “When I recorded my first track as ‘Ynys’ I double tracked the vocals with my friend Mali because hearing my voice on record was so unfamiliar and uncomfortable,” says Dylan. “The second record is still harmony heavy but there’s space for the lead vocals to feature.”
“I think that on contemporary records people sometimes have a fear of making music that sounds catchy,” he explains. For fans of idiosyncratic pop acts like Sparks, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and ELO, as well as more contemporary artists like Sam Evian and Father John Misty, Dosbarth Nos is brimming with big choruses and joyously catchy melodies that will live in your brain long after the record has finished.
Tracklist
Darnau Coll
Dosbarth Nos
Welcome Back To The Island
Hi Sy'n Canu
Dim Ond Ni
Wild Waves
Ynys
Ynys Online:
