Iechyd Da

Iechyd Da
A painting by Dale Bissland of the fishing town of Crail in Scotland, showing a brick street leading towards joined yellow and pink houses, with smoke rising from a chimney on the pink house
Studio album by
Bill Ryder-Jones
Released12 January 2024 (2024-01-12)
StudioYawn, West Kirby, England
Length48:42
LabelDomino
ProducerBill Ryder-Jones
Bill Ryder-Jones chronology
Yawny Yawn
(2019) 		Iechyd Da
(2024)

Iechyd Da is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones, released on 12 January 2024 through Domino Recording Company. It is his first album in five years, and received acclaim from critics.

Background

The album was produced by Ryder-Jones at his Yawn studio in West Kirby, England. Its title translates as "good health" in Welsh, while the title of the final track, "Nos Da", means "goodnight".[1] Ryder-Jones stated that he has not been "this proud of a record since A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart" and called it his "most produced record".[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.5/10[2]
Metacritic90/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Clash8/10[5]
DIY[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[8]
Mojo[9]
MusicOMH[10]
NME[11]
Record Collector[12]
Uncut[13]

Iechyd Da received a score of 90 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on eleven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3] Mojo felt that the album "documents a period of intense anguish with careful understatement and smart musical references".[9] Shaun Curran of Record Collector called it "a truly wonderful record, one that embellishes Ryder-Jones' writing in ways both grand and unusual, without sacrificing any of the closeness – his lyrics remain raw and direct – or melodic knack".[12] The Guardian's Dave Simpson described it as "overwhelmingly lovely, with classy hooks and rousing choruses" and remarked that Ryder-Jones's "closely mic-ed voice is fragile, delicate, even on the edge of croaky, giving the impression he's sharing intimacies directly with the listener".[7] Reviewing the album for Uncut, Laura Barton found it to contain "songs marked by a remarkable closeness, by the intimacy of place and people" in "a world filled with colloquialisms and gentle wit, where we were all on first-name terms and the geography sat in our marrow."[13]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings for Iechyd Da
Publication/critic Accolade Rank Ref.
MOJO 75 Best Albums of 2024 5 [14]
Rough Trade UK Albums of the Year 2024 19 [15]
Uncut 80 Best Albums of 2024 16 [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Ryder-Jones, except where noted. All tracks are arranged by Bill Ryder-Jones.

Iechyd Da track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Know That It's Like This (Baby)" (Bill Ryder-Jones, Caetano Veloso)4:32
2."A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart Pt. 3"3:57
3."If Tomorrow Starts Without Me"3:06
4."We Don't Need Them"4:55
5."I Hold Something in My Hand"3:04
6."This Can't Go On" (Ryder-Jones, William Hines)4:30
7."...And the Sea..."2:10
8."Nothing to Be Done"4:02
9."It's Today Again"3:33
10."Christinha"4:04
11."How Beautiful I Am"4:18
12."Thankfully for Anthony"4:54
13."Nos Da"1:37
Total length:48:42

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Iechyd Da
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 69
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 30
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 2

References

  1. ^ a b Duran, Anagricel (20 September 2023). "Bill Ryder-Jones shares new single 'This Can't Go On' and announces LP Iechyd Da". NME. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Iechyd Da by Bill Ryder-Jones reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Iechyd Da by Bill Ryder-Jones Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  4. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Iechyd Da – Bill Ryder-Jones". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  5. ^ Ghadirian, Sahar (9 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  6. ^ Thirlwell, Elvis (10 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da". DIY. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (4 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones: Iechyd Da review – Coral co-founder's songs of heartache and hope". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  8. ^ Oinonen, Janne (16 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones' extraordinarily beautiful fifth solo album finds warming light in the darkness". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da". Mojo. February 2024. p. 87.
  10. ^ Hogwood, Ben (12 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  11. ^ Bassett, Jordan (11 January 2024). "Bill Ryder-Jones – 'Iechyd Da' review". NME. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b Curran, Shaun (31 December 2023). "Iechyd Da | Bill Ryder-Jones". Record Collector. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b Barton, Laura (22 December 2023). "Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da". Uncut. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  14. ^ "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Albums of the Year 2024". roughtrade.com. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  16. ^ Pearis, Bill (8 November 2024). "List Season comes early with Uncut's Top 80 Albums of 2024". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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