Y Niwl – 4

Surfing in North Wales may involve a thicker wetsuit and a lot more shivering than its Californian equivalent, but in Y Niwl, the scene’s got a surf-rock soundtrack virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. The accuracy with which the Gwynedd quartet recast the sun-blushed East coast sounds of Dick Dale, The Ventures and the like is uncanny, their short and snappy instrumental jams ticking every expected box: guitars are tremulous and reverby, rhythms crisp and constant, melodies straightforward and fun. Their fidelity to a fifty-year old blueprint would reek of novelty were it not so skilfully delivered, and though its appeal will likely be limited to existent genre aficionados, Y Niwl sound rightly proud of their niche.