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Adwaith announce new single, album and tour dates

27 Nov 2024 5 minute read
Adwaith

Genre-defying Welsh trio Adwaith have announced their third studio album, ‘Solas’ – as well as sharing a new single and tour dates to celebrate.

Overflowing with romance and magic, this 23-track double album will complete a coming-of-age trilogy chronicling their transformation from teenagers into empowered women, exploring themes of self-discovery, escape, and resilience.

Adwaith’s new single, ‘Miliwn‘, hits airwaves today, and with it the news of an extensive tour spanning the UK and Europe.

First influenced by the counterculture music scene of their Carmarthen hometown, and the Welsh-language bands who passed through the doors of iconic local venue The Parrot, the band – who were still teenagers when they began creating music together – felt an impulsive desire to escape their hometown early on, but the pulse of west Wales has always remained.

‘Solas’ represents the closing chapter of an evolution that has taken them around the world and brought them back home. Written in Carmarthenshire’s bucolic landscapes, this album serves as a spiritual homecoming and a meditation on belonging and identity.

Trilogy

With ‘Solas’, Adwaith completes a coming-of-age trilogy that began with 2018’s Welsh Music Prize-winning ‘Melyn’ and 2022’s Welsh Music Prize-winning ‘Bato Mato’, which took them on a literal and figurative journey far from home.

After travelling across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Railway for ‘Bato Mato’, Adwaith found themselves reflecting on home even in the unfamiliar landscapes of Outer Siberia. Now, ‘Solas’ offers a raw yet uplifting exploration of self-discovery and grounding, expressed in the album’s Celtic title meaning “light of being” or “enlightenment.”

“It’s about finding that home, and that safe space, within yourself,” shares Hollie Singer, “and rediscovering what makes your inner child happy.”

Sonically, this record marks a shift from the band’s earlier post-punk influences, drawing instead from a rich tapestry of musical tastes.

Over years spent driving to gigs in their small hatchback, the trio has built a vast collection of playlists, covering all the bases from ABBA to Turkish rock, fuelling their journeys with eclectic sounds.

Key influences on the album include The Cure’s moody rock, the avant-garde rhythms of Lizzy Mercier Descloux, the desert blues of Tinariwen, and the psychedelic folk of Jessica Pratt.

Mythology

Much of ‘Solas’ was written at Heledd’s house, a stone’s throw from the eco-commune of Tipi Valley in West Wales, and recorded in West Wales, Lisbon and the Outer Hebrides.

These remote and myth-rich locations have influenced Solas’ spiritual atmosphere and musical journey. “It reminded me of home, in a way,” Singer reflects of the Outer Hebrides, which became a daily source of inspiration.

It was there, overlooking Luskentyre Beach, that the band encountered a building named ‘Solas’. Drummer, Heledd Owen shares, “the symmetry felt too magical to ignore,” shaping the album’s resonance with both place and self.”

Adwaith. Photo Jamie Chapman.

The newly released single, ‘Miliwn’, is a celebratory reminder of life’s precious moments and the importance of directing energy towards people and places that make life worthwhile.

“‘Miliwn’ is a song about realising how little time we have on this planet,” explains the band, “and encourages you to give your energy and love to people and places that make you feel good. It’s a reminder to celebrate your small wins and romanticise your life in any way you can.”

Blending infectious rhythms with a touch of introspective moodiness, ‘Miliwn’ marries the feel-good energy of the Happy Mondays with the depth of The Cure.

Tour

To support ‘Solas’, Adwaith will embark on a tour across the UK and Europe. This milestone project solidifies their uncompromising creative vision, weaving Cymraeg into their music as a vital instrument that resonates on an instinctive level.

“The use of Cymraeg throughout ‘Solas’ feels natural, truthful, and necessary,” shares Gwenllian Anthony. “We wanted listeners to feel something instinctive and emotional in the music, whether or not they understood every word.”

Adwaith – Miliwn

With ‘Solas’, out Feb 7th via Libertino Records, Adwaith breaks new ground, becoming the first female Welsh-language band to release a double album, embodying the fearlessness and clarity that has always driven them.

“I feel like we’re confident in ourselves as musicians, and our sound, and the world that we want to create,” says Hollie Singer.

“We feel fully realised.”

‘Solas’ will be released on February 7 2025 via Libertino Records.

TAITH ADWAITH TOUR 2025

08.02 – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
15.02 – The Lyric Theatre, Caerfyrddin / Carmarthen
20.02 – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
21.02 – The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
22.02 – The Portland Arms, Cambridge
25.02 – Cluny 2, Newcastle
26.02 – Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
27.02 – Sneaky Pete’s, Caeredin / Edinburgh
01.03 – Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
06.03 – Oslo, Llundain / London
07.03 – The Louisiana, Bryste / Bristol
08.03 – The Cornish Bank, Falmouth
18.03 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Yr Iseldiroedd / The Netherlands
19.03 – Hafenklang, Hamburg, Yr Almaen / Germany
21.03 – Hãngmattan, Musikens Hus, Göteborg, Sweden
25.03 – Maravillas Club, Madrid, Sbaen / Spain
26.03 – Mardi Gras, A Coruña, Sbaen / Spain
27.03 – La Salvaje, Oviedo, Sbaen / Spain


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