Gruff Rhys announces new track, “Silver Lining Lead Balloons”

“Its about facing reality and not trying to overstate something that isn’t all that. But it’s deadpan. I’m not being totally serious," Rhys explains. "At the end I’m singing “I left my dreams in a rental car”, which is quite a pathetic image, and then its followed by the last lines, “Live for now / and dream afar”. The version of me that’s singing it is quite a road-worn character – literally. I’d been driving around Europe in a van, with war starting out. So maybe that mindset.”

The track follows on from last month's "Celestial Candyfloss".

In La Frette Studios, a recording facility installed in a 19th-century house, Gruff and his road-hardened group tracked Sadness Sets Me Free in just three days. Backing vocals were added along the way by Kate Stables from This Is The Kit, along with additional strings and orchestration, and it was mixed between Marseille and Cardiff.