Irish alt/rock band NewDad have shared their latest track ‘Nightmares’ – the third track to be released from their upcoming album, MADRA (listen here) A rousing track that battles with temptation, and also had its premiere on Clara Amfo’s Radio 1 show earlier this week, Julie Dawson (singer/guitarist) says: “Nightmares is about longing for something or someone, even though you shouldn’t, for whatever reason. It’s about not wanting to fall for someone because you know it’d never work. Basically, just wishing you despised them instead of adoring them.”
The official video was directed by Zack Arlo with Co-Direction by Oliver Day. In their words – “The Irish word for Nightmares is tromluí, meaning trom (heavy; burden; oppression) + luí (lying down; state of rest). We took this as inspiration for the concept of the Nightmares video, given how much the Irish language has inspired the band. As Julie escapes the mundanity of her bedroom, her fate is sealed with the bite of a forbidden plum.”
Announced recently, Madra (meaning “dog” in Irish) is an 11-song, guitar-stacked visceral outing, as singer/guitarist Julie Dawson embarks on a journey of self-exploration, self-sabotage, and reflection. Soaked in dysfunction, Madra searches for solace in pain, tackling themes of bullying, self-medication/depression, destruction, co-dependency and resistance. The album artwork, photographed by Irish creative, Joshua Gordon, shows a broken doll that serves as a metaphor for the album’s themes of fragility and vulnerability. Upon its unveiling, NewDad dropped their grunge-fuelled album opener ‘Angel’ (listen here) and soon followed-up with ‘Let Go’ (official video).
The album finds NewDad reconnect with their musical roots, digging deep into the shoegaze/rock sonics that soundtracked their formative years (the band cite Pixies, The Cure and Slowdive as some of their biggest early influences), together with glimmers of indie/pop that harks back to their earlier material: ‘Waves EP’ (2021) and ‘Banshee EP’ (2022). Written in their home city of Galway, Ireland, before the band moved to London this year, and recorded at the legendry Rockfield Studios (Black Sabbath, Queen), the album has been produced by NewDad’s long-time collaborator Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard) and mixed by Alan Moulder (The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Wet Leg). Bound together by Julie’s ghostly vocal – a vessel for her weighty, introspective songwriting – Madra firmly marks NewDad as one of Ireland’s most promising debut guitar bands.
The band will tour the UK and Ireland in Feb/March 2024.
Madra tracklisting
- Angel
- Sickly Sweet
- Where I Go
- Change My Mind
- In My Head
- Nosebleed
- Let Go
- Dream Of Me
- Nightmares
- White Ribbons
- Madra
UK & Ireland Tour
1 Dec 2023 Galway Roisin Dubh SOLD OUT
24 Feb 2024 Leeds Belgrave Music Hall
25 Feb 2024 Manchester Band On The Wall
26 Feb 2024 Glasgow St Luke’s
28 Feb 2024 Dublin Button Factory SOLD OUT
29 Feb 2024 Dublin Button Factory TICKETS
2 March 2024 Birmingham O2 Institute
3 March 2024 Bristol Trinity
5 March 2024 London Koko
About NewDad
Galway-formed band NewDad (a moniker they picked from a random name generator) formed in Galway, Ireland in 2020 after coming together for a musical practical at school, as part of a final year project. It’s a songwriting journey that began at the age of nine, when singer/guitarist Julie Dawson took up guitar after falling for Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriele via her parent’s record collection before developing her skill set at various summer camps.
NewDad have released two hyped EP’s previously – Waves (2021) and Banshee (2022) – both of which were produced by Chris W Ryan, with the latter mixed by John Congleton (St Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers). Since signing to Atlantic Records earlier this year, the band have dropped two tracks, ‘In My Head’ (which will feature on their debut) and ‘Break In’.
Part of the Ireland’s fruitful music scene – one that’s generated Fontaine’s D.C, CMAT and Just Mustard over recent years – NewDad are here to remind us of the restlessness, anxieties, and the sometimes-flawed relationships that we’ve all had to navigate throughout our lives. Straddling the autobiographical with the fantastical, the band also draw influence from modern-day cinema/TV and their home city of Galway.
NewDad recently returned to their homeland to playa sold out show at Dublin’s Grand Social. They have previously opened for Paolo Nutini at Alexandra Palace, Fontaines DC at Custom House Square and Inhaler at Fairview Park.
