ALBUM REVIEW: NewDad – Madra (Fair Youth/Atlantic Records)
Ireland is producing a slew of fine guitar bands at the moment, and although they’re not exactly newcomers, you can add NewDad to that list.
Formed in Galway in 2018 while three of the four original members were still at school, they have a nostalgic sound which harks all the way back to ’90s shoegaze and dreampop outfits like The Sundays and Lush.
There’s a tougher underlying edge to some of their songs too, bringing to mind illustrious forebears such as Pixies and The Breeders.
After a string of digital singles and two sold-out EPs (2021’s Waves and 2022’s Banshee), Madra – which means dog in Irish – is their debut album, consisting of 11 new tracks.
It’s been something of a slow burner of a release, with In My Head shared as the first taste of the album way back in May 2023. Four more singles have followed, culminating in the other-wordly White Ribbons just prior to the album’s release.
Ethereal-voiced vocalist Julie Dawson, who also plays rhythm guitar, is the focal point, ably aided and abetted by Sean O’Dowd (guitar), Cara Joshi (bass) and Fiachra Parslow (drums).
Grunge-fuelled
Brooding single Angel, which opens proceedings, is a grunge-fuelled track with a hypnotic bassline, and it’s all about destructive relationships – a theme which appears more than once.
Many of the songs are about dysfunction, depression and reflection, and you’d be right to think Madra isn’t an uplifting listen. But it will slowly seep into your soul, and perhaps even provide some comfort in the fact you’re not alone with your own vulnerabilities.
Sickly Sweet has a mesmerising vibe, and there’s a real sense of ennui as Dawson talk-sings: “You said you love me, but you say that every time.”
There’s a slick pop sensibility to Change My Mind, which is doused with gently chiming guitar, while Dream Of Me has a more upbeat feel than most of the album.
Nosebleed is a languid mid-album anchor point, but my favourite track is previous single Let Go, where Dawson’s voice gets space to breathe against a wandering bassline before an injection of loud guitars kicks in.
NewDad will tour the UK and Ireland to promote Madra in February/March 2024. In the meantime, get your ears around this real grower of a debut album, which improves with every listen. 7.5/10.
