Ceri Shaw


 

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Bethan Lloyd - "No Umbilical" Her brand new single out now via Soul Punx Berlin

user image 2023-02-06
By: Ceri Shaw
Posted in: Music

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Bethan Lloyd  is a Welsh artist whose trance inducing vocals expand over an ocean of rave inspired production, harmonic layering and otherworldly ecstasy. Her sonic exploration has taken her from training as a classical singer, immersing herself in Berlin’s experimental music scene, to learning with magicians, masters and the ancient teachings of the natural world. In her latest single,  No Umbilical , Bethan, producing alongside  ‘Jet Pack Dog’  bandmate and master of noise  Isaac Ray , takes her intense explorations of the spirit and emotional realms and blends them into something playful and danceable, a gritty experimental pop.

No Umbilical  had been through a variety of alternate versions before arriving at the one we hear today from the upcoming album,  Metamorphosis . Talking of impossible hertz and becoming the feeding ghost, it has always retained the stark lyrical ambition of its predecessors, but in its final form, Bethan and co producer Isaac Ray opted for a softer, rolling production, that hints at a 90s nostalgia with a modern twist. Bethan’s lyrics delve into the philosophy of animism and her classical vocal training shines through in the choral layering that brings the piece to a close. Accompanied by a video shot on a now vintage handheld camera, on the outskirts of Berlin, in a decaying building where nature tries to regain a hold,  No Umbilical,  both aurally and visually, places itself in a liminal space between past and present, consumerism and ancestry.

“Listen to this… This is good.. Impressive stuff from Bethan Lloyd”
Huw Stephens, BBC Radio Wales

“For Welsh artist Bethan Lloyd, the “voice” is a multi-faceted wonder - a tool, a weapon, a healing tonic.”
James Thornhill, Under The Radar Mag

“Bethan's inventive use of dream-like, layered sounds is otherworldly.. a rousing electronic set overlaid with distinct vocals... if it’s at all possible to imagine Gothenburg band The Knife singing in Welsh, then you might well be onto something.”
Susan Hansen, Clash Magazine

"A deeply emotive swirling electro pop that fuses together Lloyd's folk influenced, pagan like, refrains that gradually creep from personal and enveloping to swooping awestruck call to the heavens, underpinned by an intricate and pulsing tapestry of shadowy electronic sounds"
Bill Cummings, God is in the TV Zine

“I love the synths I love Bethan Lloyd voice, I love the the lyrics. It's just brilliant. She is just brilliant. Very enigmatic presence in many respects and a true artist.”
Adam Walton BB Radio Wales

“I saw Bethan play at Focus Wales… She blew me away.. She was one of my favourite artists of the festival… I love her music” Bethan Elfyn BBC Radio Wales “Bethan Lloyd is an incredible musician and singer” Zakia Sewell, NTS Radio