Gruff Rhys

One of the great pop eccentrics of his generation, Gruff Rhys began his career with the noise pop group Ffa Coffi Pawb, gained fame in the mid-'90s as the frontman for the Welsh neo-psychedelic warriors Super Furry Animals, and has continued to craft melodically rich, stylistically adventurous works as a solo artist. Rhys first stepped out on SFA while the group was still active, releasing the Welsh-language Yr Atal Genhedlaeth in 2005 and teaming up with Boom Bip as Neon Neon for two electro-pop albums. Once Super Furry Animals retired in 2010, Rhys pursued a number of ambitious creative endeavors, ranging from the 2014 multimedia project American Interior to the orchestral 2018 LP Babelsberg to 2021's glam rock-infused Seeking New Gods. By the time of his 25th album, 2024's Sadness Sets Me Free, Rhys' solo career had provided nearly as many surprises and highlights as his time with SFA.