In doing my due diligence for this review, I discovered that Cardiff is one of the trendier music scenes in the U.K. This doesn't surprise me, as the number of Welsh-language albums I've heard in the past couple years has been skyrocketing. And most of them fall somewhere in that Pixies-Yo La Tengo-(kinda) Replacements sound. Messy, tuneful and sung in Welsh.

Sybs Olew Nadroedd (Libertino)

Apparently the songs are about pre-Covid life in Cardiff. That's cool. I couldn't say with any certainy, of course. But the punky riffage, scrawling lead guitar, mashed keyboards and spoke-sung vocals sound very familiar. Sybs mixes things up a bit (the musicianship is far sharper than its antecedants, for starters), and the use of lead guitar as a noise element is both startling and satisfying.

There's also a hint of the Wedding Present in the insistent strumming of the rhythm guitar. That element hides away most of the time, but when it peeks its head out I smile just a little.

Plenty of the familiar mixed with a solid dollop of experimental flair. Sybs don't stay in a lane, and this album is far better for that. Just let it flow and enjoy the ride. Quite a stunning debut.

Jon Worley