Breaking away from their origins as a Welsh-language ensemble, indie rising stars WRKHOUSE emerge with a fresh bilingual sound. After the release of their debut single ‘Getaway’ and the atmospheric power anthem ‘Snow,’ WRKHOUSE return with their debut EP, ‘Out Of The Blue’.
Crafted over four years, beginning amidst the trials of the pandemic, WRKHOUSE’s latest release marks a substantial evolution from their earlier work. Collaborating with producers Steffan Pringle, Mark Gardener, and Ed Al-Shakarchi, the Welsh quartet offers atmospheric songs that celebrate the beauty of the Welsh language through bilingual lyrics and flowing melodies.
With a layered indie sound which echoes comparisons to indie trailblazers such as Foals, Catfish and The Bottlemen and The 1975, ‘Out Of The Blue’ delves into themes of liberation from the constraints of one’s life, whether it be in relationships, self-discovery, or artistic expression. From pulsating synths, escalating drum beats, and electric guitars that build to anthemic heights on tracks like ‘Getaway’ and ‘Out Of The Blue,’ to the atmospheric, intricately crafted soundscapes of ‘Byw a Bod’ and ‘Snow,’ each track on the EP reflects WRKHOUSE’s sonic growth in their long-awaited debut.
Following the release of ‘Out Of The Blue’, we sat down with WRKHOUSE to find out the inspirations and meanings behind their electrifying debut.
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I think the drums were something we all played early on, having lessons in school or just learning off friends. Iest obviously stuck it out the longest, but it’s such a primal and intuitive instrument, it’s easy to fall in love with. We all try to hop on his drums during rehearsals, while he’s not in the room, obviously.
What was the first band or artist you enjoyed when you were younger?
For all of us bar Geth, AC/DC were a huge influence when we were young. I remember being 4 or 5, with ‘Girls got rhythm’ on in the car, and actively enjoying it. IT GROOVES like mad.
We spend a solid portion of our rehearsals playing their tunes for fun. One of the best to ever do it. Fight me if you disagree.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The Blues Brothers soundtrack. No misses on that tracklist.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Halloween by Novo Amor. It’s been in my rotation for nearly two years now and still not sick of it.
It’s quite short and the chorus has a great hook, but it’s never long enough, so it makes you want to listen to it again and again. I’m not much of a sadboi but I love this song.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
We’ve been listening to a lot of Fizz lately as a band. Geth showed us ‘Close One’ while we were in the studio and it’s been on our minds ever since. I’ve been really enjoying the deluxe release of Caroline Polacheck’s new album ‘Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.’
Iestyn came back from SXSW last month and has been sharing bands like Large Brush Collection and Faux Real a lot. Pys Melyn were a staple on the aux while we were touring.
We can always rely on Ioan to chuck on some Anri, Kaoru Akimoto and other Japanese city pop.
If there was any moment in your career you could relive, what would it be?
Bit of a rogue answer but probably the set we played at Llanidloes Football Club back in 2018, where we’d finished our set early and ended up playing a couple of songs again but twice as fast to fill the rest of our slot. It was a really fun moment that I think we’ve forgotten about over these last couple of years.
Which artist would you most love to share a stage with?
There are a few contenders. David Byrne would be cool. Geth loves a brass band arrangement, so a collab with the Metropole Orkest maybe? Or it would be Caryl Parry Jones. Welsh legend. She was a fan of our more outlandish songs when we were still ‘Lewys’ and would regularly play our song ‘Hel Sibrydion’ on her show. She’s also had Pino Palladino play for her, how mad is that?
And is there an artist you would love to collaborate with as well?
We’ve been fans of Gretel since she put out her first EP ‘Slugeye’ two years ago. It’s been interesting to see her trajectory, as when we first heard the EP it only had a few thousand streams, now it has millions. We’d love to emulate that type of path, time will tell I guess?
Her voice is lush, quite eerie and harrowing. With the direction of the stuff we’re currently writing, I think her voice would mesh really well with it.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The community and network of creative people you build over time is so special. You meet so many different people on different gigs in different places. Especially in Wales, musicians overlap all the time in different projects, so it makes this big incestious melting pot of creativity. We couldn’t have booked this tour wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our network.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
We’ve all been handed absolute gems over the years, but the one that springs to mind for some reason is ‘You can’t polish a turd’. I feel like that works well for us, we don’t like to do things half-arsed. It applies to a bunch of different things within music, like the live show, the recording process etc. Makes you check yourself.
Check out WRKHOUSE‘s debut EP ‘Out Of The Blue’ and the music videos for ‘Getaway’ and ‘Snow’ below
