Croeso! Welcome to Clash’s new Welsh music round-up column. Here, every month, we take a look at the best new albums and EP’s by emerging acts from Wales. This month, at the start of a busy autumn (October, in particular, is a huge month in the Welsh music calendar), we’ve got a high quality selection of releases to present to the world. There’s punchy bilingual rap, Italo bangers straight out of West Cardiff, “real deal” hardcore from Newport, climate-themed avant-pop and much more.
Along with the following albums and EP’s, September 2026 also saw the release of quality tracks by Welsh acts including Why Horses?, , , , , , , , , , , , , , and many more.
We hope you enjoy this overview of the vibrant current landscape of Welsh music.
Sage Todz – ‘NOT UPSET JUST MOTIVATED’
A singular figure in Welsh music, bilingual rapper continues to go from strength to strength. His latest mixtape ‘NOT UPSET JUST MOTIVATED’ is a smart, energetic collection, eschewing the jazzier sound utilises with his live band in favour of hard modern rap and afrobeats. ‘ISSA LOT’ is a bouncy afro-banger, ‘JUMPY’ boasts some of the stabbing punch of early grime, while mixtape highlight ‘Change Of Pace’ is an imaginatively produced, swaggering statement of intent. A bold, confident effort from the consistently great Sage Todz.
Holding Absence – ‘Modern Like Is Lonely’
It feels slightly odd to include Cardiff’s here because they are, to put it bluntly, massive. The post-hardcore band are signed to one of the heavy scene’s biggest labels (Sumerian Records), have toured every corner of the world and, in terms of fandom and reach, are probably the biggest Welsh band of the 2020s. Their fourth full-length ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’ sees them fuse their signature oceanic-scaled anthems to a bedrock of internet-age electronica. It’s relentlessly emo, packing an ultra-sincere, sentimental power that’s hard not to get swept up in.
London-based but Newport native doesn’t do things by halves. Every project the ambitious vocalist puts out is part of a bigger picture, from his three-part epic ‘BLOOD SWEAT & FEARS’ (which won the 2024 Welsh Music Prize) to his latest mini album ‘CRYOGENICS’. These 10 short tracks are constructed like a radio station, with its smooth-talking host. It’s wise, emotionally generous and accomplished; nocturnal R&B for contemplative late nights.
Pato Canton – ‘South Wales Riviera’
There’s a great line on the Bandcamp page for ’s ‘South Wales Riviera’ EP that describes the title as “equal parts Adriatic boat party and Mumbles seafront bottomless brunch”. This also sums up the vibe of this collection. The mayor of Canton has come up with four slammers on his latest EP, tilting from the squishy basslines of the sweaty ‘Canton Pumper’ to the almost (but not quite) breakbeats of the serene ‘Is It Really Love’. Soulful, vibrant dance music that conjures images of some beautiful, out-of-time Welsh beachside rave.
Celyn Of Gwent – ‘Dying and Rising’
We’re staying electronic for our next release, but moving into considerably more unorthodox territory. is a solo avant-pop experimentalist whose debut full-length is a strange, sometimes spooky collection of synth/art-pop framed as an ‘elegy for the climate crisis’; a pertinent topic following a summer of wildfires in Wales. These 10 tracks are unpredictable and ambitious, rarely coalescing into anything especially accessible; firmly staying on the ‘avant’ end of avant-pop. It’s a fascinating, often alarming collection, though, one that carves close to the bone.
Bottom Of The Barrel – ‘Demo 2026’
As frequently highlighted in this column, Welsh hardcore is in rude health right now and the latest band off the scene’ prolific conveyor belt are Newport’s , who feature ex-members of the amazing, though now sadly defunct . Their demo is eight minutes of fist-swinging, grimy, attitude-heavy “real deal Welsh hardcore”, to quote the band themselves. It’s rude, and intimidating, just as it should be, with some low key eccentricities flirting around its edges, such as the Southern metal riffs of ‘Fight To Survive’.
Freyja Elsy – ‘to stop the world turning’
We’ll end this month’s roundup with a significantly more introspective release. ‘to stop the world turning’ is an accomplished EP from ; a classically-trained musician whose indie folk/electronica combination makes for a delicate and emotionally resonant hybrid. Recorded in a converted chapel in West Wales, these four tracks are richly textured, infused with myriad layers of instrumentation and Elsy’s gentle voice. The best track is ‘Control’; ethereal trip-hop/downtempo that’s both lighter than air and emotionally incisive.