Welsh singer Gwenno (Gwenno Mererid Saunders) has released the latest single from her upcoming album, Tresor, which is due out on July 1st via Heavenly Recordings. It’s the second release from the new album, following on from February’s “An Stevel Nowydh“, and it’s called “Men An Toll“. You can listen to the new track below.
After having sung in indie girl group The Pipettes for around five years, Gwenno’s been working hard on her solo career, with Tresor about to become her third full-length studio release. As for the new creative freedom that comes from a solo career, the land of Cornwall seems to be a big inspiration for her at the moment, something she’s exploring at all lengths.
Having grown up with a Welsh-speaking Mum and a Cornish speaking Dad, Gwenno is fluent in both languages. It’s something that came to the fore in her 2018 album Le Kov, which was sung entirely in Cornish. That continues to be the case here, with the Mên-an-Tol standing stones in Cornwall being the inspiration behind this song.
Gwenno explains that “I was inspired by Ithell Colquhoun’s ‘The Living Stones’ as well as the eternal nature of these ancient monuments and how they enable us to reflect on our own nature as human beings and on our relationship to the landscape …. I wanted to share a different and quieter side to the record, one that is grounded in … ambient Celtic music, film scores, and experimental electronic music …. I hope that this collection of songs will serve as a small and helpful reminder of how powerful the sound of gentleness and beauty is.“
Tresor
01.07.22
to pre-order https://t.co/0llNFZ3wj4 pic.twitter.com/ViAWX4cbQU— G W E N N O (@gwennosaunders) March 2, 2022
The album was written before the lockdown and completed in Gwenno’s Cardiff home with Rhys Edwards producing, and its release will be accompanied by a short film made by Gwenno and filmmaker Clare Marie Bailey. The record’s promised to be “an introspective focus on home and self, a prescient work echoing the isolation and retreat that has been a central, global shared experience over the past two years.“
If you’re interested in hearing for yourself what new stuff she’s been up to, you can pre-order the album at this link. As for seeing her live, you can look for tickets here and see some upcoming UK dates below.
Gwenno UK Tour Dates
04/30/2022 – Stag and Dagger – Edinburgh
01/05 – Various Venues – Glasgow
05/05 – Central Live Music Venue – Wrexham
03/06 – In it Together – Port Talbot
03/09 – O2 Ritz Manchester – Manchester
17/09 – O2 Academy Leicester – Leicester
