Culture

North Wales artist SHINOBii marks latest addition to new Welsh record label

11 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Amelia Jones

North Wales artist SHINOBii is the latest name to join a new Welsh record label, who is set to release his first single through the label today.

SHINOBii, the musical project of Caernarfon musician Rhys Grail, has become the third signing to Klust Music, the new label launched by Klust Magazine in collaboration with Sain69.

His debut release for the label, DIDUFALLFROMHEAVEN?, is out on September 11 and offers a glimpse into the sound Grail has been developing from his home in Bethel, near Caernarfon.

Built around a soaring pop chorus and driving electronic production, the track balances moments of euphoria with a more melancholic edge. Grail’s influences range from Japanese Breakfast and DIIV to The Greeting Committee, while his lyrics explore feelings of longing, isolation and the desire to escape.

SHINOBii sits somewhere between Japanese Breakfast, DIIV, and The Greeting Committee.

For Grail, the new release represents something of a turning point for the project.

He said: “This single feels like a gateway into a more coherent artist sound,” describing his earlier releases as “the birth of SHINOBii” and the new songs as the first steps towards something that is continuing to grow.

Grail has self-released three singles so far, picking up support from BBC Radio 1 Introducing and BBC Introducing Wales. He was also backed by Novo Amor’s Birthplace Fund in 2025, a scheme which has previously supported fellow Klust Music artist ovajoi.

He has begun building a live following too, including a support slot during the Klust Magazine tour in London earlier this year.

Much of SHINOBii’s appeal appears to lie in the freedom Grail gives himself through the project. Rather than creating with commercial expectations in mind, he describes it as a space where he can experiment, make noise and build a world around the music.

Lyrically, ‘DIDUFALLFROMHEAVEN?’ turns on the unspoken dialogue between two people. It is a yearning for escape that runs through a world Grail has built, functioning as both an expression of himself and a refuge for anyone who has ever felt like an outcast.

He says: “I want the project, for me, to be a space where I can just create with no expectation, a way to express myself without monetising everything.

“I just want to play and create, build a world, and not feel so anxious. I want to have fun making loud noises with my pedalboard. I want to find the right audience who might connect with these songs I make; find the people who feel the way I feel.”

That approach is now finding a home with Klust Music, which launched in April and has already released music from producer IFAND and electronic pop artist ovajoi.

Klust Music will celebrate its launch with a live event at Next Door Records Two in London on Thursday 17th September, bringing together artists from across the label’s growing community and a number of label friends including Art School Girlfriend, Tomos, Tokomololo and Ani Glass.

You can buy tickets here. You can listen to his new track here.

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