Gruff Rhys has shared plans for new album ‘Pang!’, as well as a new track of the same name.

Out in September via Rough Trade, it is set to be a pop album with an international vibe – think the occasional verse in Zulu, an English title, Welsh language tracks – and is produced and mixed by the South African electronic artist Muzi, but recorded in Cardiff.

Title track ‘Pang!’ was mixed by Muzi in Cardiff and Johannesburg, featuring drums by Welsh-American psychedelic warlord Kliph Scurlock, brass by Gavin Fitzjohn and flute and percussion by the engineer Kris Jenkins, as well as Gruff on vocals and guitar.

Driving, urgent instrumentation – accompanied by a trippy video, with distinct Magritte vibes, or maybe Microsoft Windows ’95 – layer up with Rhys’ lilting voice, to infectious effect.  

“’Pang!’ is a Welsh language song with an English title,” Gruff explains. “It started life as a folk reel and soon expanded into a ‘list’ song, listing various reasons for pangs; hunger, regret, Twitter, pain, bad design etc.

“Using the English word pang in a Welsh language track may appear weird but I suppose it’s like using the French word ‘Magazine’ in an English song. In that it’s slightly pretentious but completely acceptable.”

You can pre-order the upcoming album here, and Clash is happy to share the project’s title track for the first time...

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