Trwbador

This month sees the long awaited debut release from Welsh duo Trwbador. The self titled album marks a triumphant step in what has been a slow unveiling of the magic these two can create, a mirror on their Welsh pop influences aligned to something more rooted in the rural landscape of their home in Carmarthenshire. Collaborations with the likes of Cornershop have helped raise their profile which has seen them gain ever-increasing airplay across the BBC as well as having ‘Red Handkerchiefs’ feature in a TV advert for ‘Visit Wales’.

It is music to lose yourself in, a mass of influences that you can’t really pin down…one moment you’re wrapped up in a warm folk fuzz then they drop those beats and loops which maintain that rural magic thanks to the beautifully quirky and original vocals of Angharad Van Rijswijk. She has a voice that sounds at home in the underground psych-folk scene of the early seventies, carefree and hypnotic…the perfect escape for these modern times.

It genuinely feels like Angharad and Owain Gwilym are pioneering a new sound, the boundaries of their music are blurred but it is also very clearly Welsh…therein lies its force! Go and buy that album, magic and irresistibly beautiful! - Folk Radio UK

Beautiful, delicate, enchanting, magical, there really are not enough adjectives in the world to describe this stunning debut album from Welsh two piece Trwbador. Like so many of the great Welsh bands over the years such as Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals, Trwbador continue in the tradition of recording music that has that unique sound that is only found in Wales. It is hard to quite put a finger on it or to say how this happens, but there are certain bands and artists that you instantly know are from Wales and Trwbador are without a doubt a new band that can be added to that list.

One of the things that struck me with this album is that although it would rightly be classified as an electronic folk album, it retains a pop sensibility throughout. The songs never drift away into obscurity, the hooks and arrangements on the song are such that the listener is gripped from start to finish.

Highlights on the album, well where do I start? The vocals are absolutely beautiful and will send you into a pure state of ecstasy, comparisons to Kate Bush are inevitable. The electronic sounds and finger picking guitar style will have you listening intently to every sound being created. Picking out certain tracks would not do this album justice, the album contains ten songs and, when taken as a whole, make one really big music highlight of 2013.

This is an album that will definitely be on the shortlist for Welsh Music Prize 2013, and if there is any justice in this world the recognition for this great piece of work will spread throughout the entire universe. - AMP

**** "A Magic Debut" - Q Magazine

“Onions make me cry so you don’t have to…” Trwbador’s rapid swell in popularity is certainly well-earned and well-founded. The Sun in the Winter EP showcases everything the Carmarthenshire duo do fantastically. In typical form, the material deals with raspy loops, glitch-ridden grooves and highly appealing linear textures throughout. Owain Gwilym’s sparse instrumentation platforms Angharad Van Rijswijk’s delicate delivery, underpinned by strong sound programming and sample-handling. Standout tracks, Red Handkerchiefs and the eponymous opener demonstrate Trwbador are honing their folktronic avant-pop with great success. However, with this highly distilled aesthetic, how the outfit intend to develop their music remains to be seen. The MMP has never been more eager to observe the growth of such a talented, intriguing outfit. - MMP

“Onions make me cry so you don’t have to…” Trwbador’s rapid swell in popularity is certainly well-earned and well-founded. The Sun in the Winter EP showcases everything the Carmarthenshire duo do fantastically. In typical form, the material deals with raspy loops, glitch-ridden grooves and highly appealing linear textures throughout. Owain Gwilym’s sparse instrumentation platforms Angharad Van Rijswijk’s delicate delivery, underpinned by strong sound programming and sample-handling. Standout tracks, Red Handkerchiefs and the eponymous opener demonstrate Trwbador are honing their folktronic avant-pop with great success. However, with this highly distilled aesthetic, how the outfit intend to develop their music remains to be seen. The MMP has never been more eager to observe the growth of such a talented, intriguing outfit. - MMP

Interesting slice of electro/pop from Welsh duo Trwbador, Side A is an almost plinky plonky Japan-pop style number made mostly of a toy-like keyboard loop, singer Angharad has a very childlike quality to her voice that sits well with the music they’re creating!

Side B ‘Once I had A Love’ sounds like what can only be described as “Acoustic Dubstep”, a folky acoustic guitar riff and lullaby vocal line that gives way to the trademark “wub-wub” bass line we hear so much of these days, I think they just invented a new genre? - Norman Records

It immediately transported you from the bleak mid-winter to still summer nights, with a bewitching female vocal floating above a naggingly addictive acoustic guitar theme, the whole charming concoction rounded off by hand-claps, whistling and a tinkling xylophone.
- Wales Online

Granted, it is increasingly difficult for relatively obscure bands to attract new, young audiences to their gigs in the contemporary live music scene. But as a duo tapping into the electronic sound which is so popular right now (for better or for worse) in their own unique way, Trwbador are two to watch. - Musos Guide

Granted, it is increasingly difficult for relatively obscure bands to attract new, young audiences to their gigs in the contemporary live music scene. But as a duo tapping into the electronic sound which is so popular right now (for better or for worse) in their own unique way, Trwbador are two to watch. - Musos Guide

Trwbador know what they are doing and the remarkable swiftness of their ascent shows they have done from the get-go. More important than that, they believe in it and this self-belief shines in everything they have done so far. Given the relentless quality of their output, there is no reason to think it will stop anytime soon either. - MMP

TRWBADOR'S Angharad has the kind of voice that could haunt the souls of men and send a country to war. The kind that you could write an opus about. - MGN Ltd.

TRWBADOR'S Angharad has the kind of voice that could haunt the souls of men and send a country to war. The kind that you could write an opus about. - MGN Ltd.