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Rhodri Daniel

There is only one of two ways when someone is exposed to trauma, either let it consume you and take over or you rise from your ashes and embrace your new reality, in both ways, it’ll surely change you, and a new you will be born. Rhodri Daniel chose the latter; the singer and songwriter was diagnosed in 2019 with severe damage to his hearing, tinnitus, and severe sensitivity to noise, due to his years of touring, and live performances with his previous Welsh band ‘Estrons’. His condition was severe that he couldn’t leave his house, be around other people or play music for a year. He was later advised to spend more time outdoors to help his recovery, where he met a retired record producer at his old studio in the Cambrian Mountains that has antique synthesizers that got Rhodri nostalgic and inspired him to go back to music, and that’s when his project “Heddlu” came to life. A Welsh word meaning ‘Police’ which essentially means ‘peace-force’; a perfect reflection of how peace, serenity, and nature brought the artist back to his passion. He just released his debut album “Cantref” which was inspired by his time spent along the Welsh coastline, a depiction of nature’s sounds, and how they are perceived by the artist’s vision and interpretation. It’s a mix of rock elements, progressive sounds, electronic sound effects, unusual melodies, and peaceful, sweet tunes. The bilingual, 11-track album will take you on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, inspiration, trauma, resilience, and acceptance, you will get a taste of nature’s beauty and wilderness in every song like “SMS” with its wild guitar riffs, or “Benthic” and “Descensionist” with their progressive, meditative elements that let you dive deep in thought. The artist tells you a beautiful, artistic story behind the name “Cantref”; which he describes as “based on a central character who finds themselves washed down river and castaway at sea, only to descend to the depths of Cambrian Bay to ‘Cantref Gwaelod’, a mythological sunken Celtic city, populated with malevolent long-forgotten spirits. Initially, the protagonist struggles to accept reality, before eventually coming to terms with their fate, and learning to float amongst the ghosts.” The album was released on ‘Zawn Records’ and in less than a month it’s already attracting listeners and causing a buzz on different platforms.