''Tresor'' is the third solo studio album by Welsh singer

Gwenno Gwenno Mererid Saunders (born 23 May 1981) is a Welsh musician, known by the stage name Gwenno. She has released three critically-acclaimed albums as a solo artist: Welsh Music Prize winner'' Y Dydd Olaf'' (2014); ''Le Kov'' (2018), her first a ...

, released on 1 July 2022 by

Heavenly Recordings Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne (band), Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves (band), Doves, and early singles by Manic Street P ...

. Like Gwenno's previous work, this album's lyrics are almost entirely in Cornish with one song, "N.Y.C.A.W." (which stands for "''Nid yw Cymru ar Werth''", meaning "Wales is not for Sale"), in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

. The album's name comes from the Cornish word for "treasure". The album was shortlisted for the 2022

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

Singles and film

Lead single "An Stevel Nowydh" was released 28 February 2022, followed by "Men An Toll" on 7 April, "Tresor" on 11 May, "Anima" on 14 June, and "N.Y.C.A.W." on 4 July. Each single came with a music video which are part of a longer film created by Gwenno in collaboration with

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

-born filmmaker Clare Marie Bailey, set for release some time in the summer of 2022. The film was shot on Super 8 in

Bryn Celli Ddu Bryn Celli Ddu is a prehistoric site on the Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its name means 'the mound in the dark grove'. It was archaeologically excavated between 1928 and 1929. Visitors can get inside the mound thr ...

Mynydd Parys Parys Mountain ( cy, Mynydd Parys) is located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales. It is the site of a large copper mine that was extensively exploited in the late 18th century. Parys Mountain is a mountain in name only, bei ...

, and Porth Ia (St Ives) during Summer 2021, was edited by Joan Pope, and stars

Eddie Ladd Eddie Ladd is a Welsh people, Welsh television presenter and leading dance and performance artist. Early life and education Eddie Ladd's birth name is Gwenith Owen.Gareth Bicknell"Avant-garde Eddie is one of the Ladds; Gareth Bicknell gets to grip ...

as Greddf (a Welsh word meaning "instinct").

Style and reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Tim Sendra called the album "a slight change of pace, scaling back the arrangements and focusing her songwriting to a fine point", replacing her previous releases' "gossamer-light, dream-like", and "joyful" sound with "a dark cloud partially eclipsing the brightness as Gwenno sings with real emotion about the struggles of motherhood and its place in the larger culture." The album's "more direct vocal approach", "the quiet, clipped nature of the drums, the ghostly electronic haze that floats around in the background, and the unhurried tempos make ''Tresor'' a more human-sized album that takes a little sitting with to fully appreciate", but ultimately the album "goes one step further to cementing wennoin the experimental pop firmament." '' Clash''s Sam Walker-Smart says "Except for two electronic led numbers that become more of a slog than a celebration, Gwenno has once again married the otherworldly with the primal with supreme effect." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s Neil Spencer calls the album's lyrics "occasionally confrontational" but "predominantly introspective and allusive, drawing on nature ("Kan Me" celebrates the

May hawthorn ''Crataegus aestivalis'', known as the eastern mayhaw, is a shrub or small tree of the southeastern United States that grows in low-lying or wet areas from eastern Alabama to central Florida and Virginia. It is one of several species of hawthorn ...

) and on Gwenno's recent entrance into motherhood" and an "ambitious album ... from a unique artist." ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' Éamon Sweeney notes Gwenno exploring "the impact of motherhood on her psyche", "technological alienation on "Y Dydd Olaf", and "meditations on home and identity on Le Kov (The Place of Memory)" with a "blending of pastoral folk with adventurous ambient electronica" making for a "delightful", "innovative album that isn't afraid to address big ideas through the medium of a marginalised Celtic language."

Year-end lists

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Reflist 2022 albums Gwenno albums Heavenly Recordings albums Psychedelic pop albums Baroque pop albums Cornish music Welsh-language music