Dominda (pronounced doh-mind-dah) are an upcoming Dublin based five-piece Indie rock band consisting of Ruaidhrí Whelan, Stephen Curtis, Luke Cunningham, Sean Curtis and Barry Lysaght.
All five attended secondary school together, and have been playing music in various configurations since they were teenagers. They have played as duos, in orchestras, as members of other bands, and even as embryonic versions of what would later become Dominda, which finally formed in 2022. The band formed out of the immediate context of the lockdown, after two years of being unable to play live they were all burning to finally pick up their instruments and play again, and from that flurry of excitement and creativity, Dominda was born.
They have been turning heads around the Dublin music scene with their deliciously smooth brand of neo-funk rock and roll and raucous live shows.
The band blends elements of classic rock with neo-soul and hip-hop, with no shortage of ripping drum solos and crowd sing-a-longs. Their sound has fully matured into an instantly recognisable groove that their fans have come to love.
With their new semi-eponymous EP ‘Don’t Mind That’ releasing at the end of February, Dominda are ready to be unleashed to the masses and create an even bigger name for themselves in the music world.
They hope to make a big splash on the festival scene this summer and have plans to tour across Ireland and the UK in coming months.
They also have a headline show in Dublin’s Workman’s cellar set for March 30th, mark it in your calendars because this is a show that is not to be missed!
Don’t Mind That – was recorded with the full five-piece band and produced by Cian Synnott in The Clinic recording studio.
“The EP is about our attempts to deal with life, love and the seeming apocalypse. It is about being catapulted towards our late twenties without much of a chance to fully appreciate what came before. Taking this into account, we run the gamut of emotions in all of the tracks. Some of the songs come from a place of idealism and expectation, others are about hopeful loneliness, while others are about simply having a good time and shooting the shit with your mates. Most of the songs were written originally as solo pieces by Luke and Ruaidhrí but the band have allowed them to rise to a whole new level that we are very proud of.” – Dominda on their Debut EP.
While the band is very much an alternative rock band, this EP has a lot going on, with plenty of funk, hip-hop and neo-soul influences thrown in for good measure! The band’s main focus is always having a bitta craic and we think this shines through in the tracks.
“People should listen to the EP because it is electrifying from start to finish, oozing musicality and character. All of our energy and excitement was poured into every track and yet we did not lose sight of our sense of humour throughout. This EP is for anyone who wants to laugh, cry or anything in between.”
Singles from the EP:
Meet Me in the Morning kicks off the EP at an electrifying pace and sets the tone for the emotional rollercoaster to come. Gritty guitar tones, high-energy drumming and vocal powerhouse Ruaidhrí Whelan combine to encapsulate the classic indie rock sound, reminiscent of Kings of Leon or Sam Fender. Locking you in from the start, the song builds pressure releasing only for the chorus before pulling you back in, demanding your focus. It will find a way into some back alley of your brain and stay there for days to come, or your money back.
You Never Told Me About Him acts as the centre point of the EP, marrying together Dominda’s R&B and Funk influences with the driving Rock groove their fans have come to love them for. The song came about from a chord progression Luke wrote, and the lyrics and shape of the tune were then developed over the course of several jam sessions with the full band.
Dominda’s vocalists Luke Cunningham and Ruaidhrí Whelan weave an intricate story of competing for affection and the emotional turmoil that comes hand in hand with this.
The object of their affections becomes second to the more important question ‘who the fuck is this prick?’. Ultimately it is a heightened and facetious account of a real world story, but as my mother says, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
The EP comes out February 23rd with the second single ‘You Never Told Me About Him’ dropping February 9th.
