Hen Ogledd has never been a regular band. Closer to a creative laboratory than a traditional band, the project that brings together Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell and Sally Pilkington returns with Discombobulated, an album that transforms the confusion of the present into a radical, emotive and deeply communitarian work.
Released on February 20, 2026 through Weird World, the album is presented as the most ambitious and emotional work of his career.
A band that functions as an artistic collective
Hen Ogledd takes its name from the Welsh term for “The Old North”, a historical region between the north of England and the south of Scotland, a reference that already anticipates its connection to memory, identity and territory.
The project began to take shape in 2013 with early collaborations between Richard Dawson and Rhodri Davies, but did not solidify as a group until the arrival of Pilkington and Bothwell before their debut Mogic (2018).
Rather than a fixed formation, Hen Ogledd functions as:
- a network of partners
- a space for experimentation
- a creative community
Their method of working – sharing ideas remotely and then meeting in the studio – reinforces this collective identity.
An album about collapse… and imagination as a response.
Discombobulated was born in a context of social, political and emotional crisis.
The album addresses:
- contemporary chaos
- mental health
- inequality
- community organization
but does so from an inclusive and hopeful perspective, making it his most accessible work to date.
Critics have defined it as a manifesto in favor of collective action and shared imagination in the face of a fragmented world.
The sound is mutant folk, spoken word and bard rap.
Musically, the album once again demonstrates that Hen Ogledd inhabits a territory all his own:
- psychedelic folk
- crooked pop
- improvisation
- spoken word
- jazz and organic electronics
One of the most striking elements is the concept of “bard rap,” a term created by Dawn Bothwell to describe her vocal flow halfway between oral tradition and hip-hop.
The songs combine euphoric choruses, expansive instrumentation and a mix of fragility and fury that defines the entire album.
Unexpected collaborators (and non-human sounds)
The album expands its universe with an unconventional roster of participants:
- musicians of the avant-garde scene
- spoken word artists
- family members
- children on voices and flutes
- animal and insect recordings
An approach that reinforces the central idea of the album: creation as a collective act.
Discombobulated Tracklist
- Nell’s Prologue
- Scales Will Fall
- Dead in a Post-Truth World
- Clara
- End of the Rhythm
- Amser to Ddengys
- Clear Pools
- Land of the Dead
Key songs
“Scales Will Fall”
The first track connects the history of the British protests with today’s organizing against corporate power, becoming the political core of the album.
“Dead in a Post-Truth World”.
A direct critique of nationalism and contemporary digital culture, with melodies that contrast with its lyrical harshness.
“End of the Rhythm”
A community anthem that functions as the album’s statement of intent.
“Clear Pools”
A piece of almost 20 minutes that mixes realism, spirituality and soundscape.
Cover art and community in the form of an image
The cover came from a painting by Richard Dawson that was cut into 32 fragments and sent as a gift to people close to the group.
The gesture sums up the concept of the album:
the work only exists fully when it is shared.
The most accessible album… while still being the most radical.
Although still a complex and experimental work, Discombobulated is also the warmest and most open of his catalog.
Its “quiet radicalism” is not in the noise, but in its proposal:
- community versus individualism
- imagination versus cynicism
- nature versus collapse
Why this drive is important in 2026
In a time dominated by algorithms and rapid consumption, Hen Ogledd proposes the opposite:
- long songs
- deep listening
- collective creation
- politics from the poetic
And it does so without losing emotion or sense of humor.
