‘Hiraeth’ has no direct translation in English, making it a fitting title for this fully instrumental album as it encourages your own interpretation of the music. In its native Welsh language, Hiraeth describes a sense of sadness for the departed and a yearning for bygone times, but despite this bleak inspiration, the record is equally uplifting, making it as interesting an emotional journey as an audible one.
‘Nostos’ calmly introduces the record with a slow build that blossoms into crashing cymbals and distorted chords. This mix of ambient, gentle passages that break into impactful, punchier sections is a perfect summary of what’s to come on the record, making ‘Nostos’ the ideal scene setter. Even though the album is fully instrumental, Shy, Low have succeeded in making this a lyrical record. Each song has a melodic hook that gets stuck in your brain, making each piece memorable despite the lack of vocal harmonies to sing along to.
The calmer, more tranquil parts of the album take their time to gain momentum, but with the right amount of urgency, always peaking at the right moment to offer stunning pay-offs. The title track’s laid back, dream-like sequence bucks the trend in that it doesn’t offer a powerful crescendo, but by placing ‘Hiraeth’ in the centre of the album with more impactful tracks either side, it brings a welcome change in structure and emphasises the soaring impact of the following track ‘Algos’, which is one of the most memorable moments of the record.
With only six tracks on offer, ‘Hiraeth’ appears short on first glance, but at 43 minutes in length, there’s plenty of music to enjoy. Although many songs take their time to develop and progress, nothing feels protracted and everything here feels like it has a purpose. Shy, Low have produced an excellent record that takes you on a beautiful journey that, as its title suggests, will leave you yearning for another listen.
MARK JOHNSON