Filkins Drift - Glan

In an increasingly fast-paced world, the debut album from Filkin’s Drift, Glan, is a valuable reminder of why it is so rewarding to take our time over music. This album allows listeners to enter a world of emotional honesty paired with refined musical sensitivity.

The duo, consisting of Seth Bye (fiddle) and Chris Roberts (guitar, vocals), have together achieved a level of musical self-assuredness that feels impressively mature for a first full-length release. Glan features a collection of traditional Welsh and English melodies and original tunes that have been inspired by the duo’s astonishing 870-mile trek along the Wales Coast Path.

The album dances between sparse, halcyon arrangements and unflinchingly raw moments, which creates an engaging listening experience. This mixture of gentle and rough sounds builds trust between listener and artist - you are never in any doubt that what you are hearing has been crafted with intention.

The first few tracks feel as though they are arranged with great care and delicacy, almost as if to introduce a listener to this new landscape before sending them into the more complex and layered heart of the album. The third track, Hiraeth, is a Welsh song about pining for something unattainable and certainly one of the standouts on the album.
The vocals, guitar, and fiddle on this song weave together elegantly without any one part overpowering or inhibiting the others- a style of arrangement Bye and Roberts have clearly mastered and which allows for maximum emotional impact.

The skill of both Bye and Roberts individually is paramount to the effectiveness of this album as a whole. Bye’s fiddle playing seems natural and effortless - unconstrained by traditional technical norms - which opens up a lovely musical tapestry of emotions. Roberts’ vocals are captivating and give the album much of its sincerity, while his guitar playing provides the ideal foundation on which both the fiddle and vocals can shine.

From start to finish, Glan is a moving musical journey along the Welsh coast presented by two fine musicians.