We’ve been keeping a watchful eye of North Walian trio CaStLeS, for quite sometime now.

The three piece – comprised of We//Are//Animal brothers Cynyr and Dion Hamer and Calvin Thomas – have captivated us with a series superb singles thus far but, their debut EP, PartDepart confirms what we really knew already; CaStLeS are an absolute treasure. Inspired by the surrounding wilderness of their studio, high up in the hills overlooking two castles, they embrace influences from Super Fury Animals, Django Django and the Beach Boys to name but a few. In doing so, CaStLeS create an engrossing swirling infusion of psychedelic rock, blues and mildly dancey grooves. Title track ‘PartDepart’, with its bubbling hypnotic layers, beautiful sounds, synth loops, enticing guitar riffs and seductive rhythmic groove, is essentially CaStLeS raison d’etre and indicative of the spirit running through the veins of their marvellous sound. Add a sprig of lilting Welsh vocals, tight harmonies, reverb soaked melodies, organic spontaneity and earthiness, combined with some off-kilter genius and you get the picture. ‘Nightingale’, ‘Foresteering’ and ‘Mountaineering’ too, are all consuming and overwhelm the senses in all its rhythmic glory. This debut EP has been a while coming but, yeah, you guessed it, it has certainly been worth the wait.

You can check out some choice cuts below, along with their £30 self-made video for ‘PartDepart’. You can also purchase/stream the EP in its entirety here.