HMS Morris are an art rock group from Wales who have been touring and recording since 2015, and are currently supported by the Cardiff-based Bubblewrap Collective.

Following the release of Babanod, Poetry and Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol earlier in the year, HMS Morris are back with the fourth and final single in the series, Partypooper, was released on Friday 6 November.

The track features guest appearances from the superb Owain Gruffudd and Gwyn Owen from Band Pres Llareggub (Owain also arranged the brass). Iestyn Jones is on drums. It was recorded at St Peter’s and Fitzhamon Studio in Cardiff, and Stiwdio Sain in Llandwrog. 

Songwriter Heledd Watkins explains Partypooper’s origins thus:

It’s a response to the mental highs and lows of being a musician or any kind of human person really. A great deal of us struggle with a little internal partypooper, a malignant imp who likes to wait until we’re at our happiest before screwing up her mean little face and blowing mightily on her shit-horn of doubt and regret, leaving our ears ringing and our confidence in tatters as she skips gleefully away. She’s not above putting the boot in when you’re down either; during the downtime in between gigs, or as you’re reading a crap review of a record you spent the last year perfecting, or when you see a hype band flying past at 100 miles an hour to New Music Friday land or some equally alluring destination. We all have one. We all deal with them in different ways. Here’s hoping that mine has a fear of high tempo Latin numbers with horns and distorted wailing.

Partypooper is a glorious funky upbeat response to dealing with those mental highs and lows of being a musician.

It’s a wacky, quirky, brass infused explosion on the senses, you hear the exuberance, you see the projection of colour in your head, you feel the warmth of the Latin vibes that it whips up around you, it’s a track that certainly grabs the attention!

But despite the feel good vibe of the track it does deal with a very serious topic of anxiety and mental health of the little ‘partypooper’ that sits on your shoulder trying to get in your ear and knock your confidence, it is described very pictorially when Heledd sings “like epic sporting talent and iconic feature films, she teases you with moments of relief before the kill, well maybe this is something that I’ve earned from being bad, or maybe she's just something that I never knew I had”.

Partypooper is a brilliant track, frivolity abounds in the magical melodies but it still portrays a serious message in a way that will resonate with many.

It’s left me scratching my head why I wasn’t really aware of HMS Morris before now but at least I now have an extensive back catalogue of their music to immerse myself in.

Give Partypooper a stream now:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4CpPeNV7bHfBCpMZ8pO83Y?si=XUd5YHBVRyG3rP4GUq8YIA

HMS MORRIS can he followed on their Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify:

https://hmsmorris.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HMSMorrisband

https://instagram.com/hmsmorris?igshid=1h2rxzlbvkzib

https://twitter.com/hmsmorris?s=21

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Va9ooS9BJAbysThx0T0H9?si=boJgHWBkSQGRgT_znM_twA