Gruff Rhys to release new album "Dim Probs" on Rock Action
The legendary Gruff Rhys has announced details of "Dim Probs", his ninth solo album and first release on Rock Action Records, out on 12th September 2025.
From an infinite acoustic guitar line on album opener "Pan Ddaw’r Haul I Fore" that seems to build a glowing bridge in the gap between the Earth’s surface and the heavens above to the closing track "Acw"‘s effortless segue between spaghetti western-Wales and astral jazz in just one glorious piece of music, Gruff Rhys’ "Dim Probs" is a true beauty of an album.
Recorded and mixed in Bristol in late 2024 with producer Ali Chant (Yard Act, PJ Harvey), "Dim Probs" echoes the warmth and closeness of Gruff’s career defining first solo album (2005’s "Yr Atal Genhedlaeth") and the stargazing melancholy of 2021’s "Seeking New Gods". Written and performed entirely in Welsh/Cymraeg, "Dim Probs" places the listener side by side with one of the country’s greatest and most thoughtful songwriters in the corner of a studio as the songs grow around them from just voice and guitar. The result is an intimate and hypnotic record that mixes acoustic folk with whatever scratchy, primitive electronic machines come to hand on each track. One listen? Dim probs indeed!
Gruff Rhys on Dim Probs:
"Dim Probs’ is a result of spending the last few years preparing a compilation album of ’80s private press Welsh language electronic music cassettes with friends. The compilation itself may never come out, but some of its machine textures are ingrained in this record… counter-balanced by the fact that I wrote it all with my cheap Swedish catalogue acoustic guitar as main instrument. I dressed up some of these very basic recordings to various degrees; friends from my longterm touring band (Kliph Scurlock, Osian Gwynedd, Huw V Williams and Gavin Fitzjohn) pop up on a few songs each and old friends Cate Le Bon and H Hawkline add backing vocals on the side openers (Pan Ddaw’r Haul I Fore and Chwyn Chwyldroadol!). Given the times we are living through, the title Dim Probs [No Probs] is a dark joke, especially as the lyrics, hopefully in a playful way deal variously in death (Taro #1 + #2 ), weeds (Chwyn Chwyldroadol!), war (Cyflafan) and pestilence (Acw). You get the picture."
"I used to have to translate Welsh lyrics for the sleevenotes but now with Apps like the frighteningly powerful Google Translate you can just point your phone at them. What’s even better is that there will be a slightly different translation every time. I like this element of chance interpretation. Pete Fowler has been drawing a motif of an old dog on a magic carpet flying through the debris of late capitalist Planet Earth for a few months now and was kind enough to donate one of the more sketchy ones (a bit like the album itself perhaps) for the cover. The album was recorded swiftly in Bristol at Ali Chant’s studio. I worked the songs out in advance then I’d drive or catch a train over the border and capture them fast. My hope was to retain the energy of the first take and not make something overwrought with arrangement."
"Dim Probs" is Gruff Rhys’ first fully Welsh language album since 2019’s "Pang!", a record made in collaboration with South African producer Muzi. An acclaimed writer, performer and recording musician, Gruff reached the top 10 of the official charts, with "Seeking New Gods" in 2021 as well as taking top spot in various specialist charts such as Record Store Chart ("Babelsberg" 2018), Independent Album Chart ("Candylion" 2007), independent Album Breakers Chart ("Hotel Shampoo" 2011), and Soundtrack Albums Chart ("The Almond & The Seahorse OST" 2023) with his previous records.
Photo credit: Ryan Eddleston