Wales is famed for many things; its mountains, beautiful scenery, rugby and male voice choirs but psychedelic surf rock? The rainy climes and beleagured coastline of North Wales is hardly the most likely place to spawn such a thing.
N. Wales quartet Y Niwl, who spent last year as support and backing band for Gruff Rhys on his ‘Hotel Shampoo’ tour, prove such assumptions are redundant. Their self-titled debut sounds more like a lost classic from a bygone era than an album recorded an produced in the 21st century. It has a vintage yet timeless air to it, with serious echoes of The Shadows and a glut of surf bands from the past, it is a very pure sound. Yet somehow Y Niwl still come across as endearingly authentic, carving their own modern day niche with excellently arranged, twangy, breezy and bright instrumental psychedelic surf rock sounds.
It is impossible not to fall in love with their warm and wonderful sounds, they’ll brighten anyone’s day for sure.
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