Cwfen share new single ‘Bodies’ on New Heavy Sounds
2nd May 2025There are two kinds of heavy bands: the ones that make a lot of noise and the ones that drag you somewhere you didn’t know you needed to go. Cwfen (pronounced ‘Coven’) are the latter, and Sorrows is a record that doesn’t just crush – it haunts long after the final note.
The allure of Cwfen’s sound lies in contrasts: the glacial ferocity of Amenra, with the velvet-and-razor vocals of King Woman, and the rotting grandeur of Type O Negative. It’s as hypnotic as it is harrowing, but somehow even better than the sum of those parts.
Since emerging from Glasgow’s underground just 18 months ago, Cwfen have built a solid reputation, selling out shows and pulling growing audiences into their doom-laden fever dream. Released in October, the band’s debut single Reliks was a hit with fans and critics, landing a spot on Kerrang!’s release of the week playlist. And rightly so. Their sound devours and delights in equal measure. And people are craving more.
Today sees the band share new single ‘Bodies’ with vocalist and rhythm guitarist Agnes Alder stating,
“Bodies was one of the first songs I’d written for Cwfen. I’d gone through a period of significant change in my life and had burned out to the point of caring a lot less about things that had previously been important to me when I was younger. As I was writing, I’d imagined this sort of vast, feminine cosmic horror. Sort of the opposite of what women are supposed to be. And I had this thought: what if, instead of being told to stay small and keep producing, a woman took up the biggest space possible and just… consumed? Almost a black-hole-sized matriarch hoovering up everything until there was nothing left. It was fun to think about this sort of monstrous feminine presence that can’t be stopped. So the song was sort of an exploration of those feelings, a catharsis of sorts. And permission to be terrifying.”
Listen to ‘Bodies’ now – https://lnk.to/xizN2x
“Cwfen have emerged from the darkest depths of the Caledonian underground with a beguiling blend of doom metal and gothic post-punk for those who like to live deliciously.” – Kerrang!
About new album Sorrows – released on 30th May via New Heavy Sounds (Shooting Daggers, MWWB, Death Pill):
Sorrows lives in the space around doom where the weight of the riffs is matched by the weight in your chest, where the lyrics and the songwriting are as important as the music itself. Loud and crushing, yet sharp enough to stick in your head for days. It builds, burns, collapses, resurrects. Big on riffs, bigger on feeling. The kind of songs you carry with you. Agnes Alder bears her claws one minute, then whispers the next, as the band follows like a storm front, rising, breaking, drowning you in the weight of it.
“We never set out to write an album. We were just four friends making music we wanted to hear. But then Sorrows emerged, and when it did, it pulled us into its orbit. We couldn’t ignore it,” says Agnes Alder. “When we stopped trying to fit into any one space, what came out was this beautiful mix of dark and light. Something visceral and cathartic.”
The songs have range. From the guttural Penance to the lush Whispers, to the feral Wolfsbane and the insurrectionist Rite. It includes a long anticipated reworking of Embers and Bodies, the two self-recorded demos that launched them into the scene with a bang and that fans already adore. Intricate vocal arrangements, heavy and harsh guitars, a mix of atmosphere and heft, produced by the band alongside Kevin Hare at Deep Storm Productions, and mastered by James Plotkin. It punches above its weight for a debut.
Pre-order ’Sorrows’:
Bandcamp – https://cwfen.bandcamp.com/album/sorrows
Digital – https://lnk.to/Cwfen_Sorrows
A band you want to see live:
Cwfen on stage is where the magic happens. They are primal. Leaping into the audience, a smear of black across her face, Agnes shifts effortlessly from guttural howls to soaring cleans, while the band roars. This is why word is spreading. And why people are showing up again and again.
Supporting the likes of Dopethrone, Agriculture and Witching, and having already shared a festival bill with heavyweights like Deafheaven, Chat Pile, Nordic Giants, Svalbard and Liturgy, they hold their own. This is a band that sits right in the boundaries between the heavy genres, pulling in everyone from the young goths and to the die-hard metalheads alike.
“Visually and sonically compelling… breathtaking.” – Aural Aggravation
“With every passing live show, they’re proving to be even more eerily enchanting in the flesh.” – Kerrang!
Upcoming shows including UK tour dates with Faetooth:
21/5 – Audio, Glasgow – Supporting Castle Rat
22/5 – Legends, Edinburgh – Supporting Castle Rat
13/06 – Glasgow, Hug & Pint w/ Faetooth
14/06 – Huddersfield, Northern Quarter w/ Faetooth
17/06 – London, The Black Heart w/ Faetooth
18/06 – Manchester, Star & Garter w/ Faetooth
19/06 – Norwich, Arts Centre w/ Faetooth
20/06 – Ramsgate, Music Hall w/ Faetooth
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/cwfen
02/08 – Cardross Estate, Stirling – Back Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival
Cwfen are:
• Agnes Alder – Vocals, rhythm guitar
• Guy DeNuit – Backing vocals, lead guitar
• Rös Ranquinn – Drums
• Mary Thomas Baker – Bass
Watch the video for previous single ‘Wolfsbane’ – https://youtu.be/R4ElqI1RZGM
Follow online: https://linktr.ee/cwfen
