About

knives of spain is 21st-c trobairitz Gwen Young, "Fans of music that braids aspects of folk and the psychedelic avant-garde, minimalism, electronic experimentation and sonic mood painting will find things to like..." (John Adamian, YES!)

Her work has been featured on Tiny Mix Tapes, WGXC WaveFarm, Free Form Freakout KMSU, WFMU, Tome to Weather Machine, Psychic Glands (Auckland), and The Crooked Button (Dublin). knives of spain's second full-length release, Telluric (Hairy Spider Legs), was featured in "Top 200 Tapes of 2016" by Tabs Out.

Live, knives of spain merges voice and original audio with an eclectic palette of flutes, sitar, analog synths, guitar, percussion, accordion, and electronics. She has shared bills with a range of artists, including Cate Le Bon, Ora Cogan, Clang Quartet and Eugene Chadbourne. She composes and performs all parts, and records and produces her work in lo-hi-fi domesticity in North Carolina.

"Performing under the name knives of spain, Gwen Young’s sophomore EP Telluric is transcendental. The record utilizes everything from analog synths to flutes to create a captivating, almost mystical sound. Knives’ sound calls forth comparisons to goth-rock goddesses like Kate Bush or Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins; bestowing these comparisons feels like a rarity, but I am unable to think of someone else more deserving to coexist in this gossamer world." Hooligan Magazine

“The results are wide-ranging, with ominous thrumming and unsettled dissonances in some places, and lilting acoustic settings or hypnotic drones in others... Foghorn sounds, deep-breathing accordion, insect hissing, music-box tinklings, and clouds of shivering synth oscillations all contribute to a vibe that can either lull or put you on edge. Fans of music that braids aspects of folk and the psychedelic avant-garde, minimalism, electronic experimentation and sonic mood painting will find things to like..." Yes!

“The diversity throughout (Telluric) is completely amazing. Knives of Spain delivers a specially warped version of pop music, achieved from being baked in a kiln fired by ghostly spirits...Gwen Young's voice seems to slip through these fissures of a decomposing world." Lost in a Sea of Sound