After a public vote and a judges’ decision, Adwaith‘s second album Bato Mato released earlier this year, has been selected as this year’s Neutron Prize winner. The award is God Is In The TV’s annual celebration of the best long players from the past twelve months.
Bato Mao is the follow-up to Adwaith’s Welsh Music Prize-winning debut Melyn.
Gwen Anthony from the band responded to the news by saying, “We are honoured to be chosen as the winner of this year’s Neutron Prize. We are so proud of this album and there have been some amazing albums released this year so we are so grateful to everyone who voted and to GIITTV. Love to you all!
Diolch mawr xx”
Gruff Owen from theband’s label Libertino added, ‘we are so grateful to everyone who voted for the Neutron Prize award and to God Is In The TV for all their dedicated championing of Welsh music. It means a lot to us to have BATO MATO crowned Newutron album of the year. The hard work and the journey Adwaith undertook to create this special record is remarkable, it’s their journey, navigating the turbulent waters of young adulthood, always striving for the light, and they took us all with them, from Wales to Siberia and back again. What’s exhilarating is that it only feels like the start of the band’s creativity, BATO MATO is a springboard to the future where Adwaith can create their own musical path.’
What GIITTV wrote about the album: “They say you have to go away to really find yourself, and sometimes clichés are true because with their trip into Siberia the trio have faced themselves and found a new direction. With their second record Adwaith have carved out their most formidable document yet and witnessing them grow as a group has been a pleasure. While confusion and uncertainty at the world may hang like a shadow over each vowel, this is the sound is of a band finding a new confidence, hitting their stride, cementing their place, with one of the finest Welsh language albums ever released. Make no mistake, Bato Mato is a superb second album from one of Wales’s best current bands. All aboard the Adwaith Express!”
You can read the full review of Bato Mato here, and our interview with the band here.
Benji Wild‘s album Skull and Bones was our runner up. Previous Neutron winners include The Anchoress, Islet and Kathryn Joseph.
The complete list of shortlisted albums in alphabetial order are as follows:
Adwaith – Bato Mato
Bob Vylan Presents: The Price Of Life
Beabadoobee – Beatopia
Benji Wild – Skull and Bones
Black Midi – Hellfire
The Bug – Fire
Cleo Sol – Mother
Ghum – Bitter
Nilüfer Yanya – PAINLESS
Peaness – World Full of Worry
Pillow Queens – Leave the Light On
Tom Emlyn – News From Nowhere
Adwaith photo credit: Beverly Craddock
