Breichiau Hir – Y Dwylo Uchben | Album Review

If you’re not lucky enough to be one of this planet’s roughly half a million Welsh speakers, don’t stop reading.

As the album title and band name suggests, Y Dwylo Uchben (The Hands Above) is almost entirely sung in Welsh. But you don’t need to understand the words to get something out of Breichiau Hir’s latest release. Even with a minimal, or even totally lacking understanding of the Welsh language, it takes nothing away from the sheer emotional heft of the vocal performances on this record. Indeed, as lead vocalist Steffan Dafydd belts out each line backed by a chorus of gang vocals, you can feel the emotion radiating off every word.

But let’s back up a bit. For those who may be reading about them for the first time, what exactly do Breichiau Hir sound like? At their core, they are an alt rock band with big choruses. Expect guitars that flit between fuzzy distortion and lush clean picking and vocal hooks aplenty. The Cardiff-based sextet cites Manchester Orchestra as an influence, and it’s certainly one they wear on their sleeve. If you were to imagine what that band would sound like if they’d come from Carmarthen instead of the American South, you’re halfway to understanding what they sound like.

When all of that comes together, Y Dwylo Uchben absolutely soars, and its standout moment comes right off the bat. When the lead and backing vocals on album opener ‘Syllu Men I’r Gwagle’ (Staring Into the Void) combine, it feels little short of euphoric. As a thought experiment, you could probably put this band with this song on any rock festival stage in the world and watch them win over scores of new fans. The following track ‘Paid Trio’ is another highlight – meaning ‘Don’t Try’ in Welsh rather than its English alternative – a swift and upbeat track that’s built around punky riffing and an infectious singalong chorus.

These two tracks are a hell of a statement of intent, the most instantaneous and catchy pieces of music on the whole record. The rest of the album isn’t quite as immediate, but rewards your time after repeat listens. ‘Yn Tynnu Fi Fel Cortyn’ (Pulls Me Like A String) is slow and contemplative, but its chorus hook does grow on you helped along by Dafydd’s expressive vocal performance. ‘Poeri At Yr Haul’ (Spit To The Sun) is another grower, but couldn’t be more different; a 90s grunge throwback that jumps between slacker rock style verses and explosive choruses.

Another track that deserves a mention is ‘Tyllau Llygad’ (Eye Holes), by some distance the most experimental track on Y Dwylo Uchben. The verses are delivered in a spoken word style, before giving way to a call and response chorus. Becoming ambassadors for the Welsh language and culture with audiences outside of Wales appears to be something of a mission statement for Breichiau Hir. So if you’ve never heard a Welsh language album before, Y Dwylo Uchben would be a great place to start. Especially if you’re a fan of alt rock songs with massive choruses.