Emma Way presents a guide to the Welsh music artists – from breakout stars to fresh name names – she reckons you ought to have had on your end-of-year Spotify Wrapped 2022. If you did, pat your own back! But you’ll have to read on to find out…

MARI MATHIAS

First up in this round-up of the best new Welsh music from 2022 – mood-accelerating folk with a west Wales core. Writing of the Mabinogion and medieval Welsh folk tales, Ceredigion raised Mari Mathias released her debut album Annwn (translating to ‘otherworld’ in Welsh mythology) in March. With performances across Welsh festivals including Tafwyl, Eisteddfod and the Big Splash, Mari’s Celtic identity harnessed through striking music videos and imagery pushes a subtle yet creepy edge, while she and her band’s music links traditional with contemporary themes.

THE FAMILY BATTENBERG 

Four-piece garage/psych marzipan mates The Family Battenberg’s 2022 single Fuzzy Features incorporates rippling guitar textures and breezy vocals, perfect for the subtle swing of the band’s anchoring rhythm section.

DON LEISURE

Silky smooth soul, mood-shifting hip hop edge, Asian jingles and gypsy funk synth lines are brought together, and make Cardiff producer Don Leisure’s fourth album Shaboo Strikes Back so accommodating. Its 25-strong tracklist features Gruff Rhys, Angel Bat Dawid and Amanda Whiting, repurposing sounds and moments into a scrapbook of forms dedicated to Leisure’s late uncle – Bollywood actor Nasser ‘Shaboo’ Bharwani. 

LEMFRECK

“Even if I am better informed… I think my life was better before,” Newport-raised Lemfreck claims on recent single Death By Nyash. Releasing three singles across 2022 and becoming very much a Welsh ‘one to watch’, Lemfreck’s flow and verses are purposeful and managed; singles Red Hot and Play With Silver also aligning with a Welsh Music Prize nomination for late-2021 release The Pursuit. 

JORG KUNING 

Bleep bloop electronic dub from Welshpool, on Jorg Kuning’s Chosta-Del-Sol the soaked reverbs, fuzzy bass strips, polished metallic edge and bubbling rhythmic segments are what make this EP so satisfying.

BURUM

Fusing jazz with Welsh folk melodies, what makes Burum’s Eneidiau so great is the fusing of the sextet’s abilities all in one room and the many soundscapes and improvised sections which bewitch the mind with features of whistles, horns, bagpipes and flutes. 

MIDDING 

Gloomy melancholy mish-mash lyrics, foggy guitars and psychedelic tendencies feature heavily on Midding’s May single release, Figurehead. It’s a match made in heaven. B-side Rain Down,meanwhile, is a nice little acoustic duet.

PLASTIC ESTATE

With a Sŵn Festival appearance booked in and a release date set for their self-titled debut album, Plastic Estate were set when it came to 2022. Plastic Estate combines 80s synth treatment with indiepop gloss, a combination which always works well. 

SHLUG

September outing BF/FM saw Cardiff’s rowdiest trio take a new, extra face-searing direction. Shlug, already known for their heavy hitters and chuggy guitars, spent a lot of time this year confirming their presence in the Welsh scene, signing to the Clwb Music label. Not only is Shlug’s music potentially the most ferocious on any given lineup, their energy is also contagious to witness.

MANLIKEVISION

Listening to ManLikeVision’s Boy From The South it’s hard to believe this is the hip-hop/grime artist’s first full length outing. The Welsh artist’s arrival on the local scene is a bit of a whirlwind, but not one to disregard by any means. The I Know Best writer hooks you in instantly with flawless lyrical agility over punchy production – and most impressive of all, he makes it look easy.

YXNGXR1

Cardiff native Timothy Francis Lee, also known as Yxngxr1 (pronounced younger one), has gained major recognition over the past couple of years since debuting his music on Soundcloud in 2019. This year, Yxngxr1 released a jam-packed, indie-pop meets whimsical rap album titled Teenage Motel, releasedvia Empire.

SORRY STACY

The audiovisual project of Estonia-born, Cardiff-based Anastassia Svets, Sorry Stacy creates alternative pop featuring glitchy, manipulated metallic sonic textures and pulses. Inspired by the likes of Björk and Lingua Ignota, Sorry Stacy explores themes of grief and spirituality through her shimmery, pitch shifted melodies. 

HANA LILI

Crafting personal songs comparable to that of diary entries, Hana Lili’s second EP Existential finally saw the light of day on Fri 9 Dec. A lo-fi indie-pop embrace, Existential follows up 2021’s Flowers Die In The Summer. Writing of refocusing personal efforts and relationship breakdowns, her soft-spoken lyricism is fully-formed, and feels overall more self-assured than any previous works.

words EMMA WAY