Having come together at during their time at school, the members of Breichiau Hir share a love for ’90’s post-hardcore, punk and emo bands. Since then, the Cardiff six-piece have honed in our sound that is fitting for the current political and social climate, where there is a responsibility and accountability.
Nevertheless, the Welsh-speaking group have delivered an unflinching three minutes of punk aggression with their latest single, ‘Penblwydd Hapus Iawn (A Very Happy Birthday)’. The track’s triple guitar assault, cathartic screams and crisp melodies are reminiscent of Sunny Day Real Estate, At The Drive In and The Get Up Kids.
Lyrically, the song sees lyricist and vocalist Steffan Dafydd recall a disastrous birthday gathering. “The setting of the song is a catastrophic birthday party I attended a few years ago, where I witnessed the worst in some of the best people,” he tells us.
Following its recent release through West Wales label, Libertino, we’re premiering Breichiau Hir‘s video for ‘Penblwydd Hapus Iawn (A Very Happy Birthday)’. The resulting clip is a collaboration between Steffan and guitarist Rhys Evans.
“Rhys is a video editor and Steffan makes a lot of collage art, and they’ve been talking about collaborating together for years, so this was a perfect chance,” the band explained. “The footage is a mix of clips we filmed ourselves, found footage and clips of the band during a photoshoot with Carmarthen based photographer / art collective, The Shoot.”
Reflecting on its creation, the band told us “it was a fun chance to learn, experiment and to collaborate outside of songwriting”, despite it taking longer than they expected. “We thought we would finish it in a night, but ended up spending three nights on it!”
English translation:
OK, I’d like to say that I have nothing better to say
I’ve already used these words
I don’t want to do anything
I’d say that’s worse for me than it is for you
Biting tongues and keeping things to yourselves
Someone here deserves anything better but being here OK, she didn’t do anything
But here you are, staring, completely still.
And I have nothing more to say So I’m getting out of here fast
A very happy birthday to you
Thank God, I have to leave now
Your face has turned white, your veins tight
You’re black magic that only works on me I hate every day
I’m an overflowing glass of juice, and everyday sips away at me
What a very happy birthday to you
‘Penblwydd Hapus Iawn (A Very Happy Birthday)’ by Breichiau Hir is out now on Libertino.
Breichiau Hir links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
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