Deep Dive: Honddu – Winifred

Welsh electronic duo Honddu (pronounced Honn-thee) bind the electronic and the mystical into a haunting union on new single Winifred.

With a woozy, analogue quality – you can read more about the recording of the track below – Winifred is Honddu defining their sound as they see fit. Whispers of trip-hop can be heard, but Honddu, comprising Holly Müller and David Neale find their music companions in the likes of Bat for Lashes, Kate Bush, and Ionnalee: pop music that approaches the genre from the outside, making its own rules while reaching out to the listener in an emotionally intelligent manner.

We’d like to thank Holly Müller for agreeing to talk to us about Winifred as part of our Deep Dive series.

Genesis of the song and lyrics

Winifred was written back when we formed Honddu. The demo for Winifred was the first moment we hit on the Honddu sound. The wavering, warped synths; the soft and confident melodies; its potential for heaviness, emotion, and tender power. I was really excited by it. I eagerly responded to the initial synths by writing and adding the vocal parts and lyrics.

The lyrics are directed at a young girl growing up. The song is a protective spell to keep her strong, regardless of what she’ll face in the world. It uses images of physical daring or combat: acrobats, boxers, tree climbers, acts of self-expression and freedom that are risky or require courage. A girl needs to hold on to all of that. She also needs older people to love her and raise her up. That is what this song means to me; it is very heartfelt indeed.

Instrumentation and recording

The vocals for Winifred were recorded at home in the kids’ box bedroom. The acoustic treatment of the room was comprised of their duvets, cushions and soft toys, all piled in the corners.

At the heart of Honddu’s sound, and the texture of Winifred, is a Tascam tape machine David found in a skip in Cardiff fifteen years ago. We think it’s from the early 90s (anyone?), and it has a wonky warmth and tactile nature we love: clunky buttons, moving parts, all rescued from landfill.

The limitlessness of digital music-making can be overwhelming (we do use computers; we’re not purists), and creating within limits keeps things feeling alive for us. The Tascam, with its idiosyncrasies, its inconvenient demands (rewinding tapes on stage mid-set, fumbling about with cassette cases), contributes to that.

Maybe we’re contrary, maybe we’re nostalgic for the 90s, maybe we just enjoy the playfulness of it: the hiss of empty tape like a toilet cistern filling; the warp, the warble, which I think gives Winifred a lot of its emotional depth.

Making the video

We have made some short video content you can see on our Instagram page and on TikTok: I’m hanging from a trapeze in a friend’s garden with a huge sheet of blue-sky-patterned fabric spread beneath me.

The picture is inverted, so I seem to be floating and my hair standing on end. We like the uncanny look of this, and the dappled magic of the sunshine. The trapeze filming was an interesting experience – it made me very much admire the strength and skill of acrobats.

To dangle there for even a few minutes was extremely uncomfortable, and I felt like I might hurl from swinging about. Worth it though, I love to play and be theatrical, and to experiment with creating dramatic images or footage.

Where does Winifred fit within your wider body of work?

Winifred is our sixth single and our second release of 2026, following our last single, Go Gentle, which came out in March.

We’re slowly building a body of work, and we’re committed to writing exactly what we want to in each and every moment to keep the authenticity and love alive. We sometimes wish we could create and release music more quickly, but how lucky we are to be able to do it at all!

What are you up to in the coming months?

Our overall plan is to continue to release a single every 8 weeks, or so, until we have an album. We’re recording the vocals for a couple of new tracks this week, actually (in the kids’ bedroom again). We plan to chase more live gigs, and build up to applying for showcase festivals, such as Focus Wales, for next year.

Honddu is going to keep it coming online, and the channels are open for sharing, connecting and chatting on the socials. I’m especially proud of our mailing list, where we are sharing our story and creative process over time – it feels like sending a personal letter to a pen pal.

Winifred and more music from Honddu can be heard on Spotify and SoundCloud. Catch up with the band on Instagram and TikTok for all the latest artist and music updates.