Resonant Bodies, the Sheffield duo of Rob Bentall and Zebedee C. Budworth, have released their debut album ‘St Augani’ via Redundant Span Records, and it arrives as the first installment in a planned trilogy. Both founding members of Emergence Collective and doom-folk ensemble Slug Milk, Bentall and Budworth build their sound from 2 medieval instruments, the nyckelharpa and the hammered dulcimer, improvising spontaneously and pushing both instruments well past any expectation of tradition. Listen here.
The album moves between genuine extremes. “For Jacken” opens into spacious, serene territory, while “Apparition in Situ” pulls toward something more unsettling and immersive. The Quietus described their approach as “nyckelharpa and hammered dulcimer probing and prodding until melodies take shape before your ears.” KLOF called it “a masterful balance and build that would put many a post-rock epic to shame.” Northern Exposure landed on 2 words: “anxious elegance.” All 3 assessments are accurate simultaneously.
The trilogy’s conceptual spine draws from Coptic legend and early Christian iconography. Each of the 3 albums is dedicated to a cynocephalus, a dog-headed saint from ancient tradition. Saint Augani and Saint Ahrakas appear in legend surrounding Saint Mercurius (225-250 AD), serving as his bodyguards after a dramatic act of repentance involving an angel and a ring of fire. Saint Christopher, also historically depicted with a canine head, completes the trilogy. Artwork across all 3 releases comes from Sheffield-based artist Lino Folk, also known as Fiona Allsop, whose imagery weaves the saints with symbolic objects drawn from the instruments themselves, 2 sickles for the dulcimer’s hammers, a sword for the nyckelharpa bow, all rendered as if the saints are wearing tracksuits.
Abandoned churches and occult imagery fed the creative process alongside the mythology. Their live performances carry that energy directly into the room, ranging from calm to near-chaotic, pushing both players to their limits. The duo recently accompanied award-winning writer Max Porter for his 2026 PEN Lecture, a pairing that speaks to the reach of their work beyond the purely musical.
‘St Augani’ Tracklist:
- Saint Augani
- Apparition in Situ
- St Alfege
- For Jacken
- Enclave I
Live Dates:
May 15 – Aldeburgh, UK – Britten Pears Arts