Gwenno has shared a dreamy new track called ‘Men An Toll’ – listen to it below.
Following on from her last single in February, ‘An Stevel Nowydh’, it’s the second track shared from the songwriter’s upcoming new album ‘Tresor’. That will arrive on July 1 via Heavenly.
Speaking about the track, Gwenno said: “‘Men An Toll’ (also known as Mên-an-Tol and meaning holed stone) is a wonderful Bronze Age formation of standing stones near Madron, Cornwall.
“With its obvious feminine symbolism its holed stone was believed to aid fertility. I was inspired by Ithell Colquhoun’s ‘The Living Stones’ as well as the eternal nature of these ancient monuments and how they enable us to reflect on our own nature as human beings and on our relationship to the landscape.”
She continued: “I sing, in Cornish, ‘It’s completely obvious that I can’t escape from this…’ I’m trying to express the moment when you connect with your own instinct, and accept what you are.
“With ‘Men An Toll’, I wanted to share a different and quieter side to the record, one that is grounded in the music that has had a big influence on both Rhys and I – ambient Celtic music, film scores, and experimental electronic music.
“I’ve created a playlist of artists and songs which I think embody some of these elements, and having listened to so much music which soothes the soul over the past couple of years, I hope that this collection of songs will serve as a small and helpful reminder of how powerful the sound of gentleness and beauty is.”
Gwenno’s last album was 2018’s album ‘Le Kov’. ‘Tresor’ is her third full length album and was written in St. Ives, Cornwall, prior to the lockdowns of 2020 and completed at home in Cardiff during the pandemic along with her co-producer and musical collaborator, Rhys Edwards.
The record is described as “an introspective focus on home and self, a prescient work echoing the isolation and retreat that has been a central, global shared experience over the past two years.”
The album will also be accompanied by a companion short film made on Super 8, written and directed by Gwenno in collaboration with Anglesey based filmmaker and photographer Clare Marie Bailey.
You can pre-order Gwenno’s new album here.