"Hello, Rhosyn!"
Songwriter Rose Dagul came up with the small handful of tracks floating around the internet under the name Rhosyn while staying alone in an isolated cottage in Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, with a cello and garageband for company. The rolling vocals and steady build of Glass, the widescreen pull of Eurydice, are testament to the resulting escapist, pastoral drama of Rhosyn’s sound. But there’s also a clean simplicity and rawness at work that stops things sounding caught up in the clouds.
The group originally began as sometime nine piece Wap Wap Wow. However this was eventually stripped back to five members, and the band renamed Rhosyn after the place Rose’s songs originated from. They’re currently based in Oxford, where they make up part of the city’s Blessing Force collective alongside the likes of Chad Valley, Jonquil and Pet Moon. This Friday they play the Nightjar Audio launch party, the new label started up by former DFA man Tim Goldsworthy and Warm’s Ali Tillett, who will release their debut EP in May.
What’s your name?
Rose Dagul (Rhosyn).
How old are you?
23.
What’s your current location?
Oxford.
How would you describe your sound?
Strings and voices with sparse percussion would be a literal way of describing it. I’m trying to think of something more poetic… I’ll have to get back to you on that.
What’s your previous experience?
I learnt the cello from the age of six and only listened to classical music until I inevitably discovered Top of the Pops when I was ten. When I first started writing music I was eighteen and created mock 90s, vaguely creepy dance music on Garageband. This has slowly morphed and matured, over the last five years into what is now Rhosyn.
Who are your heroes?
Edith Sitwell, Raymond Scott, Kate Bush, Peter Richardson, Betty Hutton and Moondog.
What was your last release?
I am yet to be released.
What’s your next release?
My debut release (as Rhosyn) will be an EP on Nightjar Audio in May.
When are you playing next?
This Friday, 4th March at the Nightjar Audio Launch Party at Plastic People.
I read that most of the songwriting process was carried out in an isolated area of Wales. What appealed about working in that environment?
I enjoy solitude. I wanted to write something beautiful and honest, so I gave myself a month on my own in Rhoscolyn, Anglesey. It was incredibly self-indulgent, but I wanted to see what I was capable of, devoid of any distractions. I’d been living in London the four years previous, I’d just graduated from college – I kinda just wanted to hide away for a while.
Nightjar Audio isn’t necessarily an obvious label fit for you. How did that come about, and why did you choose to go with them?
It did seem slightly unusual when Ali Tillet and Tim Goldsworthy contacted me, considering their musical backgrounds, but I figure that only unusual collaborations can produce something extraordinary. It’s really exciting for us to be working with a producer like Tim, especially because it’s something new and exciting for him too. They both seem to recognise a raw quality and energy in the music and whilst armed with their years of experience to support us, they have given us creative freedom.
Rhosyn play the Nightjar Audio Launch Party at Plastic People on Friday 4th of March
READ GLASSER INTERVIEW: ‘THE THING THAT CANNOT BE CONTROLLED’.
