Bitw is the solo project of Gruff ab Arwel from Caernarfon, and his new album Gaddo Glaw is out on 30 October on Klep Dim Trep. It's his first album entirely in Welsh – and there's a new video for the latest single Hen Dro to go with it.
The press release calls it lo-fi art pop, and then adds "(not his description)". The rest of the biography is just as dry – apparently Gruff, now in his mid-thirties, has made the move "from failing musician to failed musician" and is enjoying having nothing left to prove.
The album was made almost entirely on his own with a borrowed Portastudio (remember those?) and covers war, the climate crisis and the general feeling that everything is falling apart, but all in short pop songs. Bleak subjects, but the release promises plenty of warmth too, with love holding on as one of the good things.
Hen Dro was released as a single on 25 September and is the 2nd single from the album. It's a duet with his long-time collaborator Chwaer Fawr (Mari Morgan) and, on the face of it, a pop song about a relationship that isn't going to work – although in the context of the album it's a lot darker than that. The B-side, Cofio Bob Tro, is Gruff listing a load of bad memories, and the release describes it as "almost sickeningly cheesy". Mari sings backing vocals again, along with Gwion Llewelyn, and Stephen Black (that's Sweet Baboo to most of us) plays sax.
Hen Dro manages to sound loose and really tightly focused at the same time, which is quite a trick to pull off – it's got a nice spontaneous feel to it, but it never loses its shape.
Watch the video for Hen Dro: https://youtu.be/ThAcwKlL_m8
Pre-order Gaddo Glaw on Bandcamp: https://bitwbitwbitw.bandcamp.com/album/gaddo-glaw-2
Bitw is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bitwbitwbitw