Welsh folk duo Peiriant return with their third album and the first for the fledgling Recordiau Nawr Records.
Back in 2024, when listening to Peiriant’s second album Dychwelyd, it was obvious that the duo (Rose and Dan Linn-Pearl) had managed to perfectly capture via instrumental dialect what it felt like to return to the land of your origins and to lay your new roots down in the ground. Dychwelyd was an album of beauty and nerves, comfort and concern with its contrasting emotions beautifully balanced and its heart worn on its sleeve.
Now we get the follow up Plant (which is Welsh for children) which finds the duo fully settled into their surroundings and instead now focusing on the fears of an uncertain future, the beauty of the here and now and how creatives can still find their outlets even during periods where being a parent or partner only allows for briefer moments of artistic exploration. We also find Peiriant broadening out their sound with the core instrumentation of violin (Rose) and guitar (Dan) remaining intact yet with more cut-up sampled noises and Korg and Moog embellishment. Peiriant’s world is contradictory, both bigger and more intimate, and the eight pieces of music narrate this to us in the most perfect of ways.
Plant doesn’t start with a gentle “hello”, instead we are introduced to the album via gurgling and warping sounds and the feeling that everything is most definitely not in the right place. ‘Agor Llygaid’ then starts to take shape with Rose’s violin creeping in as soothsayer and emotional lead. Rose’s violin melody swoons and slides in a beautifully melancholic fashion with Dan’s guitar lurking underneath, choosing its moments to reveal itself more clearly. This is Peiriant producing the most perfect of prologues as it helps set up the themes of the album with clarity and purpose, helping you as a listener understand completely where we are about to travel.
The first real moment where you feel the influence of the more varied instrumentation comes with ‘Pwls’, a song that introduces a kosmische synthesised repetitive motif which serves as the pulse of the song. ‘Pwls’ is a song baked in improvisation and artistic risk and our first glimpse of how far Peiriant are going to go with their muse on this album.
Over the next six songs Peiriant continue to lift the album higher and higher as they constantly juggle beauty and beast, often within the confines of one song. ‘Song In Parts’ is hymnal and achingly beautiful, whilst ‘Wrth Y Bwrdd’ begins in the underwater world of the album’s opening few seconds before Rose and Dan create a moment where you feel free and safe to allow yourself a moment of self-expression via the medium of dance. ‘Wrth Y Bwrdd’ is the true heart of the album and one of the most beautiful pieces of music you will hear this year.
‘Hwiangerdd’ and ‘Tynnu’ are the darker side of the album as they conjure feelings of dread whilst still managing to retain an element of cautious optimism. Imagine The Velvet Underground & Nico marrying The Velvet Underground (third album) and you are close to understanding the connection between Peiriant’s avant-garde sensibilities and their Celtic folk roots.
This intensity climaxes with penultimate track ‘Velfed’ which sees a return of synth repetition and bags of propulsion. Here is a song that refuses to let you catch your breath as it speeds along, every now and then being swamped in distorted guitars.
Finally we are brought to the end by another of Peiriant’s more beautiful songs, ‘Pedair Cadair’. A lovingly plaintive piece, it closes out the album on a beautiful note which contains this glorious, tidal growl that rolls through it. ‘Pedair Cadair’ is the perfect reminder of the album’s twin narratives as it is uplifting and unsettling yet constantly interesting and magical.
Plant is the first truly extraordinary album of 2026. It is an album that says so much without uttering a single word. Its melodies follow cadences of the Welsh language and it flows so creatively from one emotion to the next. Never is it jarring or confused even when at its most contradictory. Peiriant have created an album that trumps its highly regarded predecessor and an album that deserves a place amongst the greats of modern Welsh culture.
Plant is out on 27th February – get your copy on vinyl, CD or digital download via Bandcamp
Peirirant: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Review by Simon Tucker
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