Cardiff’s charged emo-punk outfit, Breichiau Hir, have returned with their first single since 2021, ‘Penseiri’, released on November 22, 2023. The song was written between releasing their debut album and writing their forthcoming follow up, which will be out in 2024.

Breichiau Hir stayed productive throughout the pandemic, releasing a b-side single, an unlikely dark take on a track from popular Welsh artist, Bryn Fôn; having their single ‘Yn Dawel Bach’ covered by The Joy Formidable’s Ritzy alongside BBC’s National Orchestra of Wales, followed by a string of singles to promote their debut album, Hir Oes I’r Cof, which was released in November 2021. Since then, these heavy-hitters had their busiest year to date of gigging in 2022 and released a live album in the summer of 2023. The band have been busy recording their follow-up album throughout the year and will be releasing it in 2024.

“Penseiri was the first song we wrote after our debut album. The song felt like a new direction, where we opted for a big riff as the hook for the song. We’ve played it live a few times and it’s one of the most fun to perform due to its explosive nature.”

“The song explores the theme of unwittingly constructing your own prison. Initially the lyrics were tied closely to Shirley Jackson’s short story ‘The Lottery’, which narrates a sinister tale of a town with a brutal and horrific annual tradition to guarantee a good harvest and purge it of bad omens. The more I wrote and redrafted the lyrics, the focus shifted towards personal rituals and habits of individuals. These habits provide a deceptive sense of freedom and control, and ultimately contribute to the creation of their own prison. The song is written about the stage of finding comfort in your own prison.”

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