Award-winning Welsh electronic-pop artist Ani Glass returns this month with ‘O’r Diwedd’, a shimmering new single released 21 November and lifted from her acclaimed second album Phantasmagoria. The track marks another milestone in a year that has seen the Cardiff-based musician expand her sonic palette, deepen her storytelling, and continue to push the boundaries of contemporary Welsh alternative-pop.
Elegant and pulsing, ‘O’r Diwedd’ (At Last) channels a sense of hard-won hope. Its skipping synth lines and organic instrumental sweeps wrap around the enveloping melodies that have become Glass’s signature. The song feels like stepping into sunlight, bright, warm and restorative whilst retaining the stylistic trip-hop aesthetics which gives the bright feel a razor sharp edge.
“‘O’r Diwedd’ is a song written during lockdown and is about finally seeing the light at the end of a long dark tunnel,” Ani explains. “Its rhythm is inspired by our inner conflict; the back and forth, the dragging of feet, whilst the music is lighter and more uplifting, the sound of hope. It presents the conflict and joy of everyday life.”
The single arrives paired with a remix from Cardiff-based electronic duo Carcharorion, Huw Cadwaladr and Gruff Pritchard, two producers whose deep, cinematic sound has earned releases on Peski and I KA CHING. Their rework extends the track into darker, atmospheric territory while retaining its sense of uplift. Cadwaladr, also a presenter on Radio Sudd, brings a curatorial ear for vivid electronic textures that complement Glass’s crystalline vocals.
Glass’s pop sensibility was shaped long before her solo career took flight. Her time working with legendary producer Martin Rushent as a member of indie-pop outfit The Pipettes, and later in Genie Queen, managed by OMD’s Andy McCluskey, anchored her songwriting in hooks, precision and emotional clarity. Her sonic universe also draws inspiration from 1980s icons Giorgio Moroder, Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre and Arthur Russell, the latter credited with inspiring her to learn the cello.
But Phantasmagoria, the record from which ‘O’r Diwedd’ is lifted, emerged from a more personal place. In early 2020, just before releasing her debut album Mirores, Glass was diagnosed with a rare benign brain tumour. The experience reshaped her life and informed the introspective, dreamlike qualities of the new album. The result is a concept record that weaves together resilience, transformation and a re-envisioning of self.
Across Phantasmagoria, Glass unites the many languages and mediums at her disposal: lyrics in Cymraeg (Welsh), Kernewek (Cornish) and English, as well as elements of British Sign Language integrated into her live shows. Recent performances, including a London album launch at The Social and a DJ and live set at Cardiff’s Sŵn Festival, have showcased a multimedia artist moving fluidly between disciplines.
Critics have embraced the album’s rich textures and emotional depth. with press praising her intricate production and ethereal atmosphere and support form Huw Stephens’ BBC6 Music show, where Glass also appeared on the Roundtable, Ani is consistently turning heads with her creative ability.
With ‘O’r Diwedd’, Ani Glass distills the spirit of Phantasmagoria: futuristic yet human, expansive yet intimate. It is the sound of an artist stepping forward, at last, into her own light.
Listen below:
