Gwenno – Dancing On Volcanoes

Welsh artist Gwenno has announced her new album, “Utopia”, accompanied by the lead single “Dancing On Volcanoes.” This release marks a significant shift in her musical journey, as it will be her first album recorded predominantly in English after creating three previous records in Welsh and Cornish. The album follows her 2022 Mercury Prize-nominated work, “Tresor.”

According to Gwenno, “Dancing On Volcanoes” draws inspiration from various sources that coalesce into something distinctly hers. She cites Jarvis Cocker’s solitary stage presence “surrounded by dry ice, perfectly conveying the loss of our congregational dancing and drinking in small venues with a slight swing of the hip and flick of a hand” as one influence. Other touchpoints include late-night dancing at Cardiff’s Le Mandela restaurant, the Pet Shop Boys’ sharp social observations, and “the spirit of Johnny Marr on guitar, his echoes of the Celtic sea passed down through the generations.”

The track encapsulates what Gwenno describes as “the need to dance as a cathartic act” – something both deeply personal and universally relatable.