photo by tom hannigan // "I wanted you out of my system / I wished you into my life / Said things I could not live up to / Whispered secrets too late into the night"
The vast, wistful sonic psychedelic fog of "This Might Be the Start" by Cardiff, Wales psychedelic folk artist / songwriter Gene Madoc, and a vivid call back / follow up to his debut album "Revelation's Dog" (released in February), bridges classic folk, late 70's storyteller rock and mid aughts iterations of those very iconic musical shifts. I am loving, the broad emotional piano downbeats, the acoustic guitar rhythms, the bold bass moves, the beautifully drawn drum work, the wild and woozy other orchestrations, all as a framework as a spot-lighted stage for Madoc's vocal countenance full of romantic inclinations, hints of melancholia and mysterious dream casting too.
This sense of poetic, filmic, novel-esque framing within Madoc's vocal spinning of tales fictional or true have me once again feeling spiritual / artistic connections to 60's (early 70's) psychedelic / glam indie stalwarts like T. Rex / Syd Barrett and mid to late aughts artists like Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) / Foxwarren (Andy Shauf) sort of bridged together by mid to 70's art folk pop artists like Al Stewart. This is key to Madoc's nostalgic / original sound because it those artistic shoulders I feel he is standing on created grand musical gestures that are hard to find today. Bravo.
"This Might Be the Start" is my first glimpse of what is rumored to be a track form another upcoming album released this year (maybe as soon as November). At least, a little bird told me so.
LINER NOTES: (excerpted / bracketed):
[‘This Might Be the Start’ combines an intimate vulnerability with a sonic development towards the cinematic, marrying the gothic drama of Brontë-esque romance with a Kafkaesque tension. Of the lyrics, Madoc says; "There's something torturous about the combination of desire and hope, especially when thrown in with all the uncertainty that defines the early days of anything meaningful. This feels like the song that has brought my sentimental streak and cynical streak together under one roof."
Self-produced and recorded live in Wales, the single was engineered by Steffan Pringle (Estrons, Adwaith) who also features on bass, alongside Luke Robinson on drums and Tobias Andrews on electric guitar.
Having seen his debut record lauded as “adventurous” and "timeless", Madoc has since supported cult icons such as Ben Ottewell, James Walsh, and Edwin R Stevens, cementing him as an upcoming voice bridging vulnerable introspection with a dark gothic tension.]
LYRICS
I wanted you out of my system
I wished you into my life
Said things I could not live up to
Whispered secrets too late into the night
I love you, I love you, I love you
And I need you to prove I am not lost
This might be the start
Though our footsteps falter into the dark
You must be the one
We’ll kill the people
Kill the people we might have become
No ink stains on my fingertips
I spend my hours stroking glass
Is this how I came to adore you?
Is this how one solders a heart?
I won’t wait forever
And I cannot walk away
This might be the start
Though our footsteps falter into the dark
You must be the one
We’ll kill the people
Kill the people we might have become
This might be the start
Though our footsteps falter into the dark
You must be the one
We’ll kill the people
Kill the people we might have become
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCikC5A7xAxQJ_s0_8bwb4yQ
https://genemadoc.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/genemadoc
Following on from his self-produced debut album in February 2026, which was spotlighted by Bandcamp & lauded by Clash Magazine for its “effortlessly strong” lyricism, Madoc is set to release his second album in the space of a year on the 6th November.
Blending psychedelic folk with a stark existential introspection grounded in literary influences such as Kafka and Murakami, Madoc has recently supported cult icons such as Ben Ottewell, James Walsh, and Edwin R Stevens, cementing him as an upcoming Welsh voice bridging vulnerable introspection with a dark tension.
PRESS
“Madoc’s lyrics are effortlessly strong. A clear-headed, heartfelt and subtly adventurous solo album.” - Clash
“It is simply majestic. A welcome blast of fresh air because it embraces something increasingly rare… sincerity.” - Up To Hear
“Spellbinding and sublime. Madoc transubstantiates the words into a higher art. A dark troubadour sitting at the edge of the world, looking in, puzzled by what he sees and feels, and looking for answers.” - Analogue Trash
“Psych folk with melodies that swell up eerily to the night sky.” - Bandcamp Daily
“A striking blend of psychedelic folk and introspective storytelling. Revelation’s Dog feels both timeless and reflective”. - Last Deaf Day
Gene Madoc, indie rock, folk, indie folk, psychedelic music, glam, new age, bohemian rock, romance wave, "This Might Be the Start" album, Cardiff Wales, modernity and alienation, classic rock, iconic psych folk,
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCikC5A7xAxQJ_s0_8bwb4yQ
https://genemadoc.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/genemadoc
Following on from his self-produced debut album in February 2026, which was spotlighted by Bandcamp & lauded by Clash Magazine for its “effortlessly strong” lyricism, Madoc is set to release his second album in the space of a year on the 6th November.
Blending psychedelic folk with a stark existential introspection grounded in literary influences such as Kafka and Murakami, Madoc has recently supported cult icons such as Ben Ottewell, James Walsh, and Edwin R Stevens, cementing him as an upcoming Welsh voice bridging vulnerable introspection with a dark tension.
PRESS
“Madoc’s lyrics are effortlessly strong. A clear-headed, heartfelt and subtly adventurous solo album.” - Clash
“It is simply majestic. A welcome blast of fresh air because it embraces something increasingly rare… sincerity.” - Up To Hear
“Spellbinding and sublime. Madoc transubstantiates the words into a higher art. A dark troubadour sitting at the edge of the world, looking in, puzzled by what he sees and feels, and looking for answers.” - Analogue Trash
“Psych folk with melodies that swell up eerily to the night sky.” - Bandcamp Daily
“A striking blend of psychedelic folk and introspective storytelling. Revelation’s Dog feels both timeless and reflective”. - Last Deaf Day
Gene Madoc, indie rock, folk, indie folk, psychedelic music, glam, new age, bohemian rock, romance wave, "This Might Be the Start" album, Cardiff Wales, modernity and alienation, classic rock, iconic psych folk,
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