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Apr 07, 2022 By Mark Redfern

Welsh musician Gwenno (full name Gwenno Saunders) is releasing her third studio album, Tresor, on July 1 via Heavenly. Now she has shared its second single, “Men an Toll,” which is only a minute-and-a-half long. It was shared via visual (not quite a full on music video) for the song. Listen and watch below.

Saunders had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘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. 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.”

Previously Gwenno shared a self-directed video for the album’s lead single, “An Stevel Nowydh,” which was one of our Songs of the Week.

Tresor was written in St. Ives, Cornwall and features co-production from Rhys Edwards. Gwenno adds that the new album primarily deals with “rediscovering oneself after the life-changing experience of becoming a mother.”

Gwenno’s last album, Le Kov, came out in 2018 via Heavenly. Read our interview with her on the album here.

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