Super Furry Animals producer set to release album this summer

Amelia Jones

Welsh musician and producer Gorwel Owen, who worked with Super Furry Animals, is releasing a new album.

Owen has played a key role in the Welsh musical world since the early 1980s. His work was acknowledged through the Special Contribution Award from Y Selar magazine in 2025. He was a member of two influential bands in the 1980s/90s Plant Bach Ofnus and Eirin Peryglus.

He has also worked with Datblygu, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys, Euros Childs, Hwyl Nofio, Ffa Coffi Pawb, Gwenno Saunders, Steve Eaves, Melys, Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion, Ffandango, Llio Rhydderch and many others.

He also co-writes, records and performs with his poet wife Fiona Owen; their third album called Releasing Birds was released in 2015 with their own label Yamoosh!

He is known for his experimental nature when it comes to music, encompassing many different styles. His new album entitled Yn iach eto teimlo tant and will be released this summer.

Talking about his new album, he said: “The words ‘Yn iach eto teimlo tant’ – which I’ve interpreted lossely as ‘healthy to feel a string again’ are from a C15-C16 elegy to Gruffudd Llwyd by Tudur Aled.

“During that time, ‘teimlo’ was the action leading to the sounding of a musical instrument – in the same way as ‘canu’ (sing) is used in Welsh today, ‘play’ in English’, ‘tocar’ (touch) in Spanish and so on. In the context of an elegy, ‘healthy’ is probably a reference to parting – in a similar way to ‘fare thee well’.

“When I initially came across the words, I read them more positively. That’s why I have borrowed them here – to feel the strings and enjoy the richness of the sounds that arise.

“The zither was sourced at a local car boot sale many years ago. Over the years it has featured on many albums by various artists I’ve been working with.

“I had assumed that the name that’s embossed on the body was a misspelling of name of the country ‘Colombia’. I had imagined a thriving zither-based tradition of music over there that I needed to make time for to investigate on the web.

“However, some research, the zither appears to have been made by the Phonoharp Company (Massachusetts) – similarly-named zithers appear in a Sears Catalogue from the early C20. The name ‘Columbia’ more likely refers to the female personification of what was initially referred to in the colonial narrative as the ‘New World’, and, subsequently the USA.”

His first single ‘Glas’ (‘Blue’) has been released this week and the music video is available now.