9Bach formed in 2005 thanks to a chance meeting between Welsh singer-songwriter Lisa Jên (also known for her collaborative work with Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys) and English guitarist Martin Hoyland. With their unmistakable sound of Welsh language vocals shimmering alongside swamp guitar, harp, rhythm section and a subtle use of technology, 9Bach have been widely credited with giving a new voice to Welsh song. Their second album, Tincian, was described by The Line of Best Fit as ‘ripped through with transcendence; a brooding melancholy as much as a gossamer dreaminess’, and was voted Best Album at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Awards by the public.

New album Anian is a soulful, brooding record whose songs take a critical look at the world in which we live. While Tincian commemorated stories from the past, Anian explores more contemporary themes. The double CD package includes companion piece Yn dy lais / In your voice, where writers, actors, poets and singers – Peter Gabriel, Maxine Peake and Rhys Ifans among them – give their own interpretations of the songs as a way to convey the meaning to a non-Welsh speaking audience.