Rogue Jones have released their second album, Dos Bebés – an energised and mystical collection of songs blending the Welsh and English language.

Putting spotlight on Welsh culture with electro attitude, Dos Bebés merges the past, present and future all with a touch of playfulness.

It opens with ‘Triongl Dyfed,’ which uses the Dyfed Triangle, an area in Pembrokeshire that reported sightings of UFOs in the 1970s, and the point of view of aliens to highlight the current issue of the abundance of second homes in rural Wales.

‘Englynion Angylion,’ starts off haunting and melancholic before gradually progressing into an 80s synth-lead party, making references to witches and the power of nature.

‘Fflachlwch Bach’ integrates choir-like vocals with uncomplicated sun-filled indie and ‘1,2,3’ is a piano ballad about the reassurance of wise women, notably the ancestral mothers providing strength when times become challenging.

The album closes with ‘R. Williams Parry,’ questioning the legacy of the poet while also highlighting the wonders of the natural world.

For songs in English, there’s ‘Off By One’, which is slow and dreamy, and ‘Babette,’ light-hearted and uptempo. ‘Lemonade,’ is a fun merging of the two languages, harmonising vocals, and musical approaches and can be seen as encompassing the overall concept of the album. 

Rogue Jones is fronted by Bethan Mai and Ynyr Morgan Ifan, multi-instrumentalists and artists from Cardiff. Dos Bebés, meaning two babies, follows their 2015 album Vu. It was written and recorded over a five year period whereby the duo have had two babies together and therefore their presence, whether physically or mentally, fills a big part of the album. However, the title can also refer to this being Rogue Jones’ second album and therefore also like a second child.

Having started initial sessions in 2017, the process of writing and recording Dos Bebés hasn’t been rushed or forced. The result is a delicious layering of influences and moods.

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