Aurelia return with 'Angelina', a towering slice of theatrical alt-rock

Unapologetic dram-rock emerges from Cardiff

Story by Beth Shubart

02/07/2026

If first impressions count, Aurelia aren't interested in keeping things understated. The Cardiff five-piece kick off their 2026 with 'Angelina' – a gloriously overblown rush of towering harmonies, distorted romance and emotional freefall that feels as though it's constantly threatening to burst at the seams.

It's the first taste of the band's forthcoming debut EP campaign, and one that doubles down on the dramatic instincts they've been honing since early singles Out Of Sight and Get Away earned support from BBC Introducing Wales. Their self-described "dram-rock" sits somewhere between hairspray-era melodrama and modern alternative rock, all oversized choruses, widescreen emotion and enough pop nous to stop the whole thing disappearing into abstraction. Recorded in Newport with producer Richard Jackson (60 Ft Dolls, Pretty Vicious), 'Angelina' was born from instinct rather than meticulous planning. Arriving in the studio armed with little more than a rough demo, Aurelia embraced the uncertainty, building the track from the ground up with cascading harmonies, counter-melodies and layers of guitar that pile ever higher without losing sight of the song's hook. Despite clocking in at under three minutes, 'Angelina' feels vast. It channels the blurred emotional intensity of My Bloody Valentine while borrowing the rich vocal interplay of The Mamas & The Papas, creating something that's equal parts dreamy, bruised and utterly immediate. At its core is a dual vocal performance that gives the song its emotional pull. As the relationship unravels, the lead vocal and female harmonies drift in and out of one another, blurring reassurance with self-delusion until neither feels entirely reliable. It's a clever touch that leaves enough space for listeners to find their own stories inside the wreckage. With more releases set to arrive across the summer ahead of their debut EP, Aurelia are emerging as one of the most intriguing new names coming out of South Wales. If 'Angelina' is anything to go by, they're not chasing subtlety, they're chasing catharsis, and they're getting dangerously close.