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Jul 10, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Gruff Rhys

Gruff Rhys, Welsh frontman of Britpop outliers and survivors Super Furry Animals, has announced a new solo album, Pang!, and shared a video for its new single, “Pang!” The album’s lyrics are in Welsh. Pang! is due out September 13 via Rough Trade. Watch the “Pang!” video below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover art, as well as Rhys’ tour dates. The album also features “Bae Bae Bae,” a song Rhys shared last year and can be heard below as well.

The album is the follow-up to Babelsberg, which was released in June 2018 also via Rough Trade and was recorded with the 72-piece BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Pang! also features some verses in Zulu and the album came together over the course of 18 months. South African electronic artist Muzi produced and mixed the album, which was recorded in Cardiff, Wales. The song “Pang!” features Rhys on vocals/guitar; drums by Kliph Scurlock (formerly of The Flaming Lips); brass by Gavin Fitzjohn; flute and percussion by the engineer Kris Jenkins; and beats and bass by Muzi.

Rhys had this to say about the album’s title track in a press release: “‘Pang!’ is a Welsh language song with an English title. It started life as a folk reel and soon expanded into a ‘list’ song, listing various reasons for pangs; hunger, regret, twitter, pain, bad design etc. Using the English word pang in a Welsh language track may appear weird but I suppose it’s like using the French word ‘Magazine’ in an English song. In that it’s slightly pretentious but completely acceptable.”

Rhys was also recently featured on the Africa Express song “Johannesburg,” which was one of our Songs of the Week.

Read our 16th Annual Artist Survey interview with Gruff Rhys.

Read our 2015 interview with Gruff Rhys about American Interior.

Pang! Tracklist:

1. Pang!
2. Bae Bae Bae
3. Digidigol
4. Ara Deg (Ddaw’r Awen)
5. Eli Haul
6. Niwl O Anwiredd
7. Taranau Mai
8. Ôl Bys / Nodau Clust
9. Annedd Im Danedd

Gruff Rhys Tour Dates:

Sept 5 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Rooftop
Sept 7 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Festival
Sept 9 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout
Sept 10 - Kansas City, MO - recordBar
Sept 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
Sept 15 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
Sept 21 - Bethesda, Wales - Gwyl Ara Deg - (SOLD OUT)
Oct 15 - Gateshead, UK - Sage Gateshead
Oct 16 - Paisley, Scotland - Spree Fest
Oct 18 - Cardiff, Wales - Sŵn Fest
Oct 19 - Birmingham, UK - Future Days Fest
Oct 20 - Manchester, UK - Yes
Oct 21 - Cambridge, UK - Stoney’s field
Oct 23 - London, UK - Earth
Nov 6 - Paris, FR - Le Pop-UP du Label
Nov 7 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who Fest
Nov 8 - Gent, BEL - Democrazy
Nov 9 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub

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