Waterpistol have a sound that feels like it was excavated from a very specific and very excellent corner of music history, and “Felin” is their most fully realized statement of it yet. The South Wales six-piece have released their first single of 2026, and it arrives with real creative weight behind it.
Drawing on the guitar textures of ’90s shoegaze and golden age rock ‘n’ roll, with clear influence from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The La’s, and Liverpool cult favourites Shack, Waterpistol have built a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly their own. BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton put it well, calling their music “sounding timeless, such an exquisite combination of some of my favourite artists of all time.”
“Felin” touches on the highs and lows of the creative process, and it’s the first glimpse of a wider collection of material already taking shape. It follows previous singles “Shotgun,” which earned airplay on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales, and Amazing Radio, and “Où est ton âme?,” which landed the band a DIY Magazine playlist spot.
The timing is significant. Waterpistol have just been awarded BBC Horizons’ 2026 Launchpad Fund, in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council Wales, a meaningful endorsement of where this band is headed. God Is In The TV called them “a refreshing blast” with “a ton of promise,” and “Felin” backs that up completely.
Formed in late 2022 and gigging hard ever since, Waterpistol have already logged appearances at FOCUS Wales, Green Man, Sŵn Festival, and In It Together Festival. The six-piece, Harry Watton, Rhea Padua, Aaron Tormey, Carwyn Whiteman, Emma Way, and Efan Watkins, are building something with genuine staying power, and 2026 looks like the year it breaks wide open.