Introducing:Siula

When night falls, Siula rises. Emerging from Cardiff’s quietly radical dream-pop undercurrent, the duo’s debut album Night Falls on the World casts a luminous shadow over themes of love, loss, and memory. Built from Llion Robertson’s cinematic soundscapes and Iqra Malik’s hypnotic vocals—drifting between English and Welsh—Siula's music feels like a half-remembered film reel: intimate, otherworldly, and utterly immersive.

With the album now out via Libertino, we caught up with Siula to dive into the emotional terrain behind the record, the language of nostalgia, and what it means to soundtrack the spaces between connection and absence.

1. Night Falls on the World is described as a cinematic, emotionally layered journey through memory and impermanence. What was the starting point for the album — a particular feeling, place, or moment? 

I wish there was a more profound answer to this question but it all began after listening to some demos. Gruff, the boss of Libertino Records sent me some demos that Iqra had sent in and asked if I'd be interested in working with her. I was absolutely blown away by her voice and how much atmosphere and mystery she managed to convey so I invited her over to the studio. Iqra's voice is so distinctive, it kind of guides you in a way in terms of what you can do production-wise but I knew straight away that we had something good and that something really great could come out of it so we decided to make it a thing and named it Siula. Of course we were in the trenches in the beginning just like everybody else, trying to cobble ideas together that worked and that felt like us but the feeling we had always felt special and that's always something I'm looking for. 

2. Your sound blends textured electronics with lyrical intimacy, and shifts between English and Welsh. How do language and sound intertwine for you when expressing emotional nuance? 

Songs seem to lend themselves to certain languages in my opinion. The majority of the album is in English but there are 3 songs on there that are in Welsh and it's quite an abstract thing but it felt like they needed to be sung in Welsh. There was a strong emotional, almost nostalgic connection with the land somehow within the music and Welsh lyrics just seemed to convey this on a much more profound level. I'm always looking to create an atmosphere, be it a synth sound, a vocal, a drum pattern or whatever and the right lyrics do this. I spent a long time on the lyrics for Llygaid and Golau Gwir to get the feeling and flow just right so the listener is taken on a real cinematic journey where they can float around and lose themselves within the music.

3. The title track feels like the emotional centrepiece of the album — can you tell us more about how that song came together and what it represents within the wider arc of the record? 

Night Falls On The World was actually the first song we ever wrote. Before Iqra came in to that first session, I'd put together a couple of pretty well formed tracks that I thought we could use and all we'd need to do was stick a main vocal on top and we'd be done. Nope! It felt like the music and the vocals were just miles apart and they just didn't belong together at all so I learnt pretty quickly that we needed to start from the bottom up with the vocals and some chords and then build the production around that. Night Falls On The World was the first song we wrote using that approach where we tried to capture the essence of the song from just those two elements. Iqra's voice is very emotive and it guides you when you write and you almost can't help but write music that feels emotional in order to support the vocal. This track was a real lesson and every other song on the album was written using this method.

4. There’s a strong sense of space and atmosphere throughout the album — from the minimalism of Fragments to the shimmer of Kyoto Sky. What were your reference points sonically or visually while shaping the record?

In terms of references, I think everything you've ever listened to comes out when you write music and I guess working with other people turns you on to new influences which is always healthy. I was listening to a lot of Overmono when we were writing the album and I remember hearing Good Lies for the first time and just being blown away by the beauty of it. It had pretty much everything and it just felt so effortless. Iqra introduced me to Ethel Cain and we both just loved the dreamy, lo-fi aesthetic and how deeply personal the lyrics were. The vocal performance had so much raw emotion and the confessional storytelling really resonated with Iqra. The hazy, nostalgic stripped down production definitely had an influence on me when trying to create a sense of vulnerability and longing. We've both also got a pretty deep love for Burial and he's another producer who creates incredible atmosphere in his tracks. There's always a sense of loneliness, isolation and lost memory in his tracks and this is certainly something I leant into when producing tracks for Night Falls On The World. 

Ultraviolence by Lana Del Ray covers complex emotional themes like vulnerability, obsession or the dark side of love when it comes from a personal place. Iqra was hugely influenced by this approach when we were writing the album and how the lyrics can really can effect the mood and drama of a piece of music. Another big influence on my production style is Joy Orbison and how few elements there are in his productions but what he leaves in is pure gold and it really contributes. It takes real confidence to have just 3-4 elements playing in your track and to not hide behind 25 other things. This approach definitely played a part when we were writing Night Falls On The World.

5. Night Falls on the World feels incredibly cohesive yet deeply personal. Was the process of creating it more cathartic or exposing — and what do you hope listeners take away from the experience?

I guess both to some degree. Iqra put everything into it lyrically drawing on lots of past experiences which she hasn't necessarily put down on paper before. This was no doubt a cathartic process for her but at the same time, made her feel pretty vulnerable but that's what creates the human connection to the music right, so it's completely worth it. It's all empathy and relatedness. I'm always trying to create emotive atmospheres and music that connects with people and that always feels like quite a healthy process for me. I'm always trying to push myself creatively to try something different or to convey an emotion that I've not explored before and this album definitely covered some new ground which felt good. We just hope that the listener connects with the music and takes something from the album that stays with them and makes them want to come back to it for years to come.