Hen Ogledd – ‘Discombobulated’ album review: A convoluted and abstract walk through British life
You probably shouldn’t find yourself going into any project associated with Newcastle folk bard Richard Dawson expecting an easy ride, but on Discombobulated, the latest release from his art rock side project, Hen Ogledd, the impenetrable nature of his work is dialled up to another level.
The Skinny: The group, composed of Dawn Bothwell, Rhodri Davies, Sally Pilkington and Dawson, have been active under this moniker for three studio albums now, having evolved from being an avant-garde adventure between Davies and Dawson prior to that. What has separated them from any of their prior projects up until this point is that there has been an extra layer of accessibility afforded to their audience, even though, at its core, the music of Hen Ogledd has still maintained a sense of peculiarity.
On this latest release, however, the grip on the listener’s hand has loosened a great deal, and if the album’s title wasn’t enough to hint at the sort of experience it offers, the journey through the album’s eight songs will certainly give you a greater perspective of the sort of disorienting experience that Discombobulated aspires to be.
The album begins with the one-two of intro track ‘Nell’s Prologue’, a spoken word introduction delivered by a young girl that attempts to provide a setting for the album, but is then shattered apart by the immediately bombastic ‘Scales Will Fall’, which has Bothwell semi-rapping over an emphatic chorus of horns before a greater ensemble of voices comes into focus.
Given that their name, Hen Ogledd, translates from Welsh into ‘The Old North’, it’s clear that this broad representation of pan-British voices has always been high on the band’s list of priorities, but sometimes the way in which they combine feels a little too forced. The natural way in which cultures collide in everyday life is instead produced in an artificial manner to create this tapestry of Britishness, and the way in which they play with ancient imagery and modern anxieties feels like one complication too many.
The children’s voices return at various points throughout the album, as do forays into singing in Welsh and Finnish, and while the musical elements of the record can sometimes be emphatic in the same way that Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz manages to be, there isn’t enough cohesion present on a record that feels as though it was intended to be listened to and digested as a full concept. There are flashes of brilliance, but it’s the sort of album that makes you work hard to truly want to love it.
The Verdict: Perhaps attempting to play with too many styles both musically and vocally, Discombobulated feels like a vision that hasn’t quite been realised in a way that explores its full potential, and can come across as being stunted by the scope of its own ambition. You might find it dazzling, or you might find it dazing, but if there’s anything you can’t take away from Hen Ogledd, it’s that they’ve created something entirely original and in their own lane. With refinement, it could be extraordinary.
Standout track: ‘End of the Rhythm’
Release Date: February 20th, 2026 | Producer: Sam Grant | Label: Weird World
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