Mwsog return with fiery anthem of Welsh grief and resistance

The wild Welsh wanderers Mwsog return with their new single ‘Llef Hir’ (The Long Cry), a searing invocation of grief, remembrance, and defiance.

A fiery ballad of rage and mourning, the track channels ancestral memory through a darkly psychedelic folk lens, sounding a long-held cry for land, language, and survival.

‘Llef Hir’ reflects on a painful chapter in Welsh history and the lasting impact of cultural loss. The song looks back to periods when speaking Welsh was actively discouraged, including the era surrounding the Treachery of the Blue Books, when children were punished for using their mother tongue – echoes of which are still felt today.

Drummer Luke Huw Llewellyn says: “‘Llef Hir’ is a fiery ballad of rage and mourning. It ruminates on the deep wound carried by the Welsh nation. It is why Welsh entered a prolonged decline – and why the artwork for Llef Hir is bathed in blue. The colour serves both as an act of remembrance and an emblem of defiance: a tribute to our ancient Celtic ancestors, who once painted themselves in woad blue before battle.”

Friday 13 February marked both Dydd Miwsig Cymru and the anniversary of Tynged yr Iaith (The Fate of the Language), broadcast in 1962. Delivered by playwright, poet and activist Saunders Lewis, the speech played a significant role in raising awareness of the Welsh language and its future.

At the heart of ‘Llef Hir’ lies a deeply transformative recording process. Vocalist Mari Mathias recalls capturing the song at Mwnci Studios, nestled in the rural Taf Valley of Carmarthenshire. Produced by Steffan Pringle, the session pushed Mari to a physical and emotional edge.

Mathias says: “Recording ‘Llef Hir’ asked everything of me.

“I was utterly fatigued and felt I had nothing left to give with my voice. In that moment, Angharad and I stepped away from the studio and went to the river. We needed to tend to the water, to call upon our ancestors for guidance, to reconnect with the energy of the land.”

 

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What followed became central to the song’s emotional core. “I fell to my knees at the riverbank and felt the spirits – the faces and voices of my ancestors – calling to me in my mother tongue. By grounding my bare feet on the earth and baring my soul to the water, the song unlocked itself. It carried the grief, the strength, and the ongoing fight to keep our language and culture alive.”

As Mathias stepped away to gather herself, Angharad Iris held the space – playing flute and carrying the vocal lines until they could return to the studio.

She added: “We went back with a new sense of purpose.

“I used the tiredness and dug even deeper to find the core meaning and soul of the performance. It changed the song completely – the melody, the lyrics, the energy of the vocals. I felt fully connected to the grief, the fight for our oppressed country, and the strength to stand for a bright future and our ancient homeland of Cymru.”

Llef Hir is out now.