The Cambrian Mountains have inspired Pumsaint singer songwriter Idrys Dan’s latest single, Waterloo Road.
Released with guitarist/producer Trevor Stainsby under the name of alt rock/pop artist nwnos, Waterloo Road was released on 1 September.
Explaining more, Idrys said: “With the magic of nature and the supernatural as a backdrop, nwnos take inspiration from the rolling hills of Cambrian to tell stories about life, love, death and everything else. Waterloo Road started life as a lament for my good friend who sadly died young, but ended up becoming a reminiscence of a truly great childhood spent on the streets of Penygroes.
“There are references in the lyrics to some of the people who have made an impression on my life and I wanted to galvanise that through this song. I guess the song is partly autobiographical and partly a thank you and a big ‘tip of the hat’ to the beautiful people that have contributed to making me who I am today.”
He added: “The style of nwnos cannot be easily placed in to a genre. If pressed we would have to say alternative rock and pop. We just want to write good songs and tend to let the song inform the sound and style from the start.”
With the ‘do it yourself’ ethos of punk and New Wave, nwnos aim to create authentic music with meaningful lyrics. The artwork for the single “is a simple homemade ink drawing of Waterloo Road, Penygroes, south Wales”, said Idrys, which is where he is originally from.
“I also spent a good few years living in Bristol and Cardiff, then moved to Llandeilo to be with my partner around 15 years ago. We are now settled in Pumsaint and I love being here, at the edge of the Cambrian Mountains, and I feel I am home at last!”
He added: “I started working on nwnos in 2018. It was just me recording songs on an old tape cassette player.
“I am not the greatest musician but managed to teach myself enough piano and bass guitar to start shaping something that could be called a song. My previous experience was as a drummer and lyricist for a band.
“My main focus with nwnos is for the lyrics to be honest. I want to tell stories through song.
“I am a writer at heart and reluctant performer! I tend to shy away from the limelight and am totally mortified to find myself being front and centre of this project.
“I met guitarist and producer Trevor Stainsby in 2022 and we soon released our first single Black Knights. With Trevor’s experience of recording and production I was able to turn my vision into something worthy of releasing to the general public.
“As for the future of nwnos? The bulk of the songs that I have written so far are in Welsh.
“I want to be a Welsh language artist and that is where things are going. I am just taking my time to get better at my craft and to assemble the musicians that I will need to make those songs the best that they can be.”
Waterloo Road is available on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube.
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