motel void

Cardiff experimental folk group Spirited Followers have just released their new single Returning. They’ve built a reputation as one of Wales’ most immersive and powerful live acts, and this new track truly speaks for itself. It opens with a delicate field recording and a beautifully captured acoustic guitar, soon joined by additional instruments and subtle percussion that gradually expand the soundscape.

Blending ancient song traditions with exploratory textures and contemporary experimentation, the band once again create something quietly transformative. This track carries a deeply meditative mood, shaped by the gentle vocal delivery and the sweeping strings that slowly emerge. There’s a strong emotional undercurrent throughout. On Returning, the group explore a softer, more serene side of their work, drawing inspiration from Christian Appalachian hymns that reflect on death — reframing the subject through warmth, beauty, and acceptance.

I first listened to the song during a late-night walk through the countryside, heading from one town to a smaller village around midnight after missing the last connection home. Watching the snow-covered landscape, a hare darting across an open field, and listening to this track was genuinely mesmerizing!