Osian Rhys

Music is at it’s most powerful when it stops you in your tracks, and implores you to drink in and savour every last note. ‘Long Time Gone’ the debut single by Welsh folk singer songwriter Osian Rhys achieves exactly that. From the first strains of the harmonica you’ll be hooked.

Immersed in dark ambiguity, ‘Long Time Gone’ takes the form of a folk hymn.
Almost in prayer, the singer asks to be cleansed from sin, looking for purity in his hour of darkness.

“I Haven’t Seen Anything/Haven’t done anything/Haven’t Been Anywhere for Days/ But I Don’t Care.”


There is a genuine intimacy about this record helped by the decision to release it on limited edition vinyl, and record it on a retro ‘reel to reel’ tape machine. The format couldn’t be better suited with every crackle, and hiss adding a near religious vibe to Osian’s stunning harmonies. Drink it in.

Released on August 24th via Backwater Records ‘Long Time Gone’ is backed by “A oes ‘na le (i oeri gwres fy nghalon),” an absorbing ode to forbidden love sung in Osian’s native Welsh language.

This is without doubt the first signs of love #FSOL and we can’t wait to hear more from this star in the making. - Right Chord Music

“Long Time Gone” is an intimate introduction to Wales’ shining new folk star Osian Rhys. A homespun, tangled web of delicate songwriting, Osian’s debut captures a raw honesty that is rarely found on records today. The single will be released on a series of limited edition 7? records, backed with “A oes ‘na le (i oeri gwres fy nghalon),” an absorbing ode to forbidden love sung in Osian’s native Welsh language.
- The Music Ninja

Sometimes you come across a track that makes you stop in your tracks completely. For some incredible reason, those sound waves sweeps through the rest of the world’s soundscape and enters your soul. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s something significantly special. When I heard Osian Rhys’s dulcet tones, I was instantly caught in his entrancing folk music, and his tales of forbidden love. What makes his music that little bit special is the fact that he’s sang this track, ‘A Oes ‘na Le (I Oeri Gwres fy Nghalon)’, which translates to ‘Is there Room (to Chill my Hearts Warmth)', is sang in Welsh.

To me, a person who considers Welsh her first language, when translating from Welsh to English, you lose the magic that’s held for centuries in the sound of the syllables. There's even a traditional Welsh poetic style where that's entirely focused on the spellbinding power of the sound specific syllables create, which I absolutely adore. The Welsh language is one of the most gorgeous languages to listen to. It's singing within sentences. So, I urge you to take a listen to this wonderfully haunting track and not try and dissect it, but listen to it like you’re secretly watching him through a crack in the curtains and Osian’s sat spilling his heart out.

If you’re looking for a delicate, silky and enchanting folk masterpiece that’s dense in passion, longing and beauty, then Osian Rhys is a Welshman that should be firmly on your radar for the up coming months.
Read more at http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/150961-tune-day-osian-rhys-a-oes-na.html#vWuxslB8IH9owtTC.99 - AltSounds

Osian Rhys, from the sound of his debut single, is one of those rare folk singers who have the ability both to drag you into their songs and then keep you there – a special combination rarely achieved by alluring melodies whose lyrics ended up lacking, or profound genius which fails to provide any musical excitement.

The Welshman possesses the positive aspects of both, and is confident in his ability to keep the attention of his listeners. 'Long Time Gone,' the single scheduled to be released at the end of August, ascends to the level of a hymn at times, a haunting harmonica replacing the grandiose church organ as Rhys' beautifully harrowed voice calls out for cleansing and purity, a simple yet emphatic guitar carrying the confessional mood with its notes.

That Christian search for forgiveness carries through the single and into the B-side, a Welsh language ballad, this time with the organ included, which wrestles with the idea of forbidden love and how to hide feelings. Both tracks carry that unmistakable folk style, and yet Rhys' voice, at times dripping with sorrow and at others bordering on the angelic, is more than enough to draw the listener into a trance, fixating on the glorious simplicity of the chords and the profundity of the lyrics.

Osian Rhys is a rising star of the folk scene, of that there is little doubt. If his debut album is anywhere near as entrancing as his single, that star will be burning bright in no time at all. In the meantime, he'll be touring the country later this year in support of 'Long Time Gone,' and if you like what you hear below, you'd do well to find out more. - Shout 4 Music

“Long Time Gone” is an intimate introduction to rising folk star Osian Rhys. Spilling across a low-key arrangement of acoustic guitar and harmonica, Osian’s deep Welsh accent hangs prayer-like in the air, reeling you into his haunting melodies. Backed with “‘A oes ‘na le (i oeri gwres fy nghalon)”, a tale of forbidden love, Osian Rhys’ debut single is a sublime first release and is out on August 24th. - Kick Kick Snare

Big sentiments, when expressed simply, often have an astonishing effect. Osian Rhys [Facebook] should know all about this – the Welshman’s plaintive debut single is an exercise in restraint, its lyrics purposefully ambiguous, able to be interpreted a number of ways as he layers his tremulous voice over some stripped-back instrumentation: guitar, organ and harmonica. Long Time Gone builds to a crescendo that is surprisingly powerful, displaying the talent that Rhys has for understanding dynamics; when gentle drums enter toward the three-minute mark (‘I haven’t seen anything / Haven’t done anything / Haven’t been anywhere for days / But I don’t care’), the bleak undertones are contrasted with a soaring melody that brings the song to a haunting finish. This is the sort of song that is tender and heartfelt, and will appeal to a wide number of people. It’s released as a single on August 24th via Backwater Records, backed with the Welsh-language tale of forbidden love, A oes ‘na le (i oeri gwres fy nghalon). Both songs can be streamed below – get on them before you’re left behind. - The Blue Walrus

Welsh folkman Osian Rhys’s new track “Long Time Gone” stopped straight in our tracks and made us pay attention. The vocal, the melodic chops, the simply beautiful harmonizing, and Osian’s cool Welsh accent all of it is really really excellent. A definite surprise. Don’t sleep.
- Blah Blah Blah Science