Heddlu’s new album ‘Tramor’ feels less like a collection of songs and more like a lived-through document of survival, healing, and the quiet power of resilience. Across its 11 tracks, Rhodri Daniel — once the firebrand guitarist of Estrons, now reimagined as Heddlu — turns hardship into art with a clarity that borders on catharsis. The title itself, meaning “Overseas” in Welsh, hints at both distance and transformation: a journey through estrangement, trauma, and ultimately, hope.
The project opens with “Y Pell”, a hushed, calm, and serene intro that sets the stage for what follows: music at once intimate and expansive. “Fire A Flare” quickly shifts gears, an indie rock anthem that bursts with urgency, its energy recalling the grit of Daniel’s past work but channeled into something more refined. Then comes one of the album’s most personal highlights, “Paid Becso Am Dim” (“Don’t Worry About a Thing”), a soaring track written for Daniel’s sister as she battled breast cancer. Its fizzy melodies and uplifting optimism cut through the darkness, embodying the strength of familial love.
Elsewhere, Heddlu explores vulnerability with stark honesty. “Cut the Rope” is a raw meditation on love and self-awareness, its plea to let someone go not a rejection, but an act of compassion. Meanwhile, “Wish You Were Her” wrestles with emotional contradiction — both a frustrated cry for change and an empathetic acknowledgment of shared flaws. It’s this tension, between confrontation and care, that makes Tramor such a deeply human album.
Born out of years of hearing loss, tinnitus, and the enforced silence of recovery, Heddlu’s second act feels astonishingly alive. If his debut Cantref was an act of internal composition, Tramor is the exhale — volatile, tender, and unflinchingly real.
“With Tramor, Heddlu transforms personal struggle into universal resonance — an album that proves resilience doesn’t just endure; it sings.
