Bitw is the moniker of Gruff ab Arwel; he has played in Snowdonian surf lot Y Niwl, and backed Gruff Rhys, Cate Le Bon, H. Hawkline, to name just a few. Rehearse, their new album, is released on 1st December on Klep Dim Trep, from which we have the pleasure of sharing the video for Old Hands below. This is what Cate Le Bon had to say about Gruff:
“I fell for Gruff Ab Arwel’s idiosyncratic mind and music years ago when, still at school, he was one half of surreal Welsh pop band, Eitha Tal Ffranco. They sung of part-time vegetarians and suicidal teachers. Bitw is an incredible continuation of the curiosity, mystery and casual surrealism that has imbued all his work to date. It is sci-fi mountain music – familiar and uncanny.” – Cate Le Bon
Sci-fi mountain music – Cate Le Bon hit the nail on the head when, as White Label Series guest curator for the Joyful Noise label, she spoke of Gruff ab Arwel after unveiling his glorious pop offering Bitw to the world. Now, deservedly as perhaps one of Wales’ better-connected musicians, he’s releasing his burgeoning follow-up. A lesson in rolling with the punches, Rehearse is proof that keeping good company can be handy when your best-laid plans go awry, and how being easy on the ears often comes from a place of discomfort.
“I’d vowed never to record at home again, the last album took fucking ages.” Gruff laughs, having unintentionally followed the pattern of his living room recorded self-titled debut. “I’d planned to record this album as “live” with a band but that was in March 2020 so naturally there was a change of plan. It ended up recorded mostly at home in Caernarfon again, with the odd session at the local arts centre. That turn of events cemented the sentiment behind the record – here I was, doing the same as before but expecting a different outcome.”
Location challenge set, Rehearse remains as buoyant as ever and captures the familiar pop territory of his beloved self-titled debut. Cranking up the experimentation dial to discover new ways of moving the sound forwards, Gruff mixed up the instrumentation and experimented with dynamics by swapping out synths for acoustic ambience – inadvertently capturing the esoteric influence of his own favourite sources of inspiration. “I enjoy slightly left-of-centre, late 60s-70s pop; that’s where I broadly orbit. I’m an advocate of pushing yourself into a less comfortable direction.”
Hypnotic and beautifully idiosyncratic psych-pop. The song features George Amor (Omaloma) and Mari Morgan (aka Chwaer Faw).
Tapping into his own sonic network of kindred musical spirits, the album was mixed by Llŷr Pari and features Gwion Llewelyn (Aldous Harding, H. Hawkline, Villagers, Gulp, Race Horses) on drums and flugelhorn, Stephen Black (aka Sweet Baboo) on woodwind, Mari Morgan (aka Chwaer Fawr) on violin, and George Amor (Omaloma) – all joining forces on backing vocals.
Whilst Bitw’s debut stems from a blissful reminiscing rather than a wallowing in nostalgia and yearning to recapture the past, Rehearse is of the moment as it takes shape from songs which just so happen to have been written at the exact same place and time, and only once finished did it force the clouds to part and reveal itself to be his most personal offering to date.
Rehearse is the name of the new album and out on 1st December.
pre-order: https://bitwbitwbitw.bandcamp.com/album/rehearse