Gentle with sinister undertones: The Gentle Good discusses his upcoming protest album, Elan

Stephen Price

The Gentle Good has released the second single from his highly anticipated new album, Elan – a gentle protest album inspired by the flooding of the Elan valley to supply water to Birmingham.

Written in an off-grid cottage during a year-long residency in the Cambrian Mountains, The Gentle Good’s new album ‘Elan’ is a psychedelic portrait of the Elan Valley in Powys, Wales.

Featuring songs in both Welsh and English, ‘Elan’ explores the landscape, history and politics of this remote area, which was flooded to provide water for Birmingham at the end of the Victorian era.

“Mr Groves is a Wiltshire gentleman, who purchased ten thousand of these almost worthless acres a few years since, and is making a paradise of the wilderness…” – Benjamin Malkin, 1803.

The second single from the album, ‘Ten Thousand Acres’ is an ode to the valley’s many expressions and a meditation on ownership and our perception of landscape throughout time.

‘Elan’ is set for release on 16 May 2025, with further singles to be released in the coming months, and Nation.Cymru caught up with singer songwriter, Gareth Bonnello AKA The Gentle Good to discuss the inspiration behind one of the most highly anticipated albums made in Wales this year.

Ten Thousand acres tackles some big themes that are very important here in Wales, chiefly perhaps land ownership – ownership over our own land – can you tell us more about the theme and how it came about?

The title comes from a quote by Benjamin Malkin, an English scholar that visited the Elan estate in 1803 and later published a history of south Wales.

Malkin stayed with Thomas Grove, an aristocrat who had recently bought the estate, described as “a Wiltshire gentleman, who purchased ten thousand of these almost worthless acres a few years since, and is making a paradise of the wilderness…”

In the end, the estate and much of the valley was drowned at the start of the 20th century, when the city of Birmingham was granted a compulsory purchase order to create reservoirs for drinking water.

To me, it’s indicative of the way both perceptions of Wales and decisions with far-reaching consequences for Welsh communities have been shaped from the outside.

The same sentiments echo today whenever ownership or use of Welsh land and Welsh cultural issues become a political topic.

Wales is still being portrayed as worthless, wild and in need of betterment and the Welsh themselves as incapable.

The song itself is calming, gentle, soothing, romantic even.. perhaps a juxtaposition with the thematic matter.. is this a good foretaste of the album?

Yes, I have a very gentle way of writing protest songs, in that they don’t really sound like protest songs at all. I want them to be pleasant to listen to, to get under the skin and then reveal a deeper meaning.

Ten Thousand Acres is dreamy and romantic, but also a bit disorientating; you can get lost in it and there’s a slightly sinister undertone.

I was lucky enough to have a year-long fellowship with the Elan Valley Trust from November 2021-22. I was able to stay in an off-grid cottage above Penygarreg dam, with no phone, wifi or radio signal, so there was ample time for reflection.

The psychedelic element on the album is much stronger than on my previous records. I wanted to tap into the way we romanticise the countryside, so the songs have this other-worldly, fantastical quality to them.

There was a lot going on politically during the formation of the album.

It felt to me that devolution was in a fragile state after Brexit and the pandemic. Boris Johnson had been singing his ‘muscular union’ tune and lying to parliament, Suella Braverman was dreaming of deporting refugees and then Liz Truss came in to crash the economy.

There was no signal of any kind in the cottage, so I’d go up the mountain one day and when I’d come down a few days later there’d be a new health secretary or prime minister or something.

I wanted to explore the history of Cwm Elan, which echoes the history of so many other parts of Wales affected by controversial land seizures from Westminster.

But primarily, I wanted to know what the valley can tell us about Wales today.

This truly is protest music, yes, sowing seeds and thoughts… are you involved in any movements such as Cymdeithas?

The album is full of stories about Cwm Elan, from songs about the mountains, rivers and skies to folk tales about murderous bandits and heroic sheepdogs.

It’s true that many songs have a political or cultural message.

I see the valley as a microcosm of Wales; the debates about land, culture, language and our relationship with the rest of the UK and the world are all there.

I’ve always been supportive of Cymdeithas yr Iaith and I’ve done many gigs for their events over the years.

A lot of my political views align with theirs, particularly the way they see their work as part of a wider struggle for minority rights and freedoms all over the world.

This is the second release from the album, can you tell us how it interplays with the first, Tachwedd?

Ten Thousand Acres was the first song I wrote for the album and is a sort of introduction to the valley, the start of a journey and a step into the unknown.

On the flip side, Tachwedd was the last song I wrote after a year of spending time there, it’s my way of saying ‘ffarwel’ to Cwm Elan and the cottage.

The album isn’t really a linear experience though, it’s more cyclical and reflective of the seasons. The tracks are actually split that way on the double vinyl pressing, with each side representing one of the seasons.

On the surface Tachwedd is an upbeat appreciation of the spectacular beauty of Cwm Elan in November, but the song is also a reminder not to get completely taken in by it.

There is darkness and death in the valley too, and the song is a warning to prepare for the coming winter.

After the year was over, I left the valley with a growing sense of unease of where the world was heading.

And the choice to sing in both Welsh and English.. a natural one?

I’m Cardiff born and bred and raised in a Welsh speaking household, so my existence has always been fairly bilingual.

It’s natural to me to release music in both languages and I think it’s a good way of emphasising the bilingual nature of the country.

Exploring the language in Cwm Elan was a key part of writing the album, as it’s the language of the land. Like pretty much the whole of Wales, you can learn more about the landscape just by learning the names of mountains, rivers and streams and you can find local history and folklore there too.

I think we sometimes make it too easy to keep the two languages apart in Wales.

We talk of Welsh-speaking and non-Welsh speaking areas as if we aren’t all the same people.

I don’t believe Welsh language music is just for Welsh speakers, and I want to encourage everyone to discover and enjoy the language and culture that’s all around us.

The artwork is incredibly beautiful for the singles and album – can you tell us more about it…

The artwork is based on original drawings by Eustace Tickell, who was the chief engineer during construction of the enormous dams that still stand in the valley.

He published his drawings in a book called ‘The Vale of Nantgwilt: a submerged valley’. They show scenes from throughout the valley before it was flooded.

The artwork was created by Richard Chitty, who is a fantastic artist and graphic designer as well as head of Bubblewrap Records.

Rich took Eustace’s monochrome drawings and introduced coloured doorways, and abstract shapes into the scenes, to fit in with the psychedelic nature of the music. I think it all looks gorgeous. Cheers Rich!

The music is tender, accomplished.. a joy to listen to.. Who did you work with and where?

The record was made at a bunch of sessions at Tŷ Drwg Studios in Grangetown, Cardiff.

It’s a remarkable place run by Frank Naughton, who is a supremely talented engineer, musician and all-round polymath.

Together with Cardiff psych linchpin Andy Fung on drums, we worked the ideas I was coming up with live in the studio.

Once the shape was there I began adding more musicians; Laura J Martin on flute, Fiona Bassett on French Horn and Ivan Moult on vocals.

There’s a collaboration with SAZ, a trio that specialise in Rajasthani folk music that I’d been working online with since the pandemic.

The finishing touches were added by the Mavron Quartet playing fantastic string arrangements by Seb Goldfinch and an acoustic duet with guitar virtuoso and Radnorshire local Toby Hay.

The album comes out in May, do you have plans to take it out on tour?

I’m hoping to yes! I’m currently rehearsing with the band and booking gigs. We do have a launch event on the 17th of May at Cultvr Lab in Cardiff.

It’s going to be an amazing gig with the full band and quartet plus support from the brilliant Laura J Martin.

On top of all that we’ll be making full use of Cultvr’s 360o cinema dome, performing live to psychedelic visuals and bespoke images of Cwm Elan.

Elan is released on 16 May 2025.

Pre-order the forthcoming album from The Gentle Good, and other releases here.