Forged where land meets estuary waters and the city screams just a stone’s throw from nature, plugged-in Cardiff-based singer-songwriter Carw foretells the majesty of his summer debut album with the single, LANTERNS, released on BLINC Records on Friday 25 May 2018.
Carw, Welsh for ‘deer’, opens the door on a determinedly focused, self-initiated and largely self-produced project influenced by 1980s electronic pop, the expansive, dream worlds painted by the guitars of Cocteau Twins and the sun-setting grooves of Balearic House. Wired into the Welsh capital’s community of musicians and artists, Carw’s creative vision has been to cherrypick nature’s influence, having grown up in rural isolation, whilst suffusing deep breaths of clean air with the dust kicked-up in the vibrant cycle of city life.
Under his real name of Owain Griffiths, Carw’s previous collaborations and live appearances have been as part of Cotton Wolf, Eugene Capper & Rhodri Brooks, Winter Villains and the electronic synth trio, Hlemma. LANTERNS and Carw’s forthcoming album are co-produced by Cotton Wolf’s Llion Robertson.
Based in North Wales and serving at the vanguard of new music of Welsh origin and contemporary Welsh language music, BLINC Records releases Carw’s debut album in summer 2018, following previous releases by Welsh Music Prize 2017 nominees, HMS Morris and husband and wife soundsmiths, Rogue Jones.
Lanterns is a uplifting and superb offering synthwave. It has a beating heart of retro influences from the 80’s synths to the 90’s beats, but it retains a pop sensibility, all finished off with some great vocal delivery. This man could go far if he aims it right.
Take a listen, here
Lanterns is out now on Blinc Records
