NewDad – ‘Madra’ review: sublime songs from Ireland’s next great guitar band

24 January, 2024

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The thing about looking into a polished surface is that your reflection will always be a smudge in its sheen. On ‘Madra’, NewDad find seams of doubt, uncertainty and frustration staring back at them from beneath an otherwise serene shoegaze-pop exterior.

READ MORE: The future is NewDad’s for the taking

There is a point a few songs into the London-via-Galway quartet’s debut album when their past and present meet, with the roiling emotions of young adulthood contained in Julie Dawson’s lyrics cutting through the glistening, propulsive sound the band have fashioned into a protective cocoon since the release of their promising-if-half-formed early EPs. “I don’t know where I go, I don’t know where I go,” Dawson repeats on ‘Where I Go’, her sense of dislocation growing with each additional syllable.

But while her words portray someone casting about for an anchor, NewDad’s circumstances are altogether more concrete. With major label backing and enough hype on their side to power Kevin Shields’ amplifier skyline, they are neatly placed in the slipstream of the shoegaze moment being enjoyed by reunited OG bands such as Slowdive and Ride, along with more seasoned next-gen acts in Nothing or Spirit Of The Beehive.

This weight of expectation sits easily on the broad shoulders of the LP’s best tracks, though, which are all could-be singles characterised by a keen appreciation of melody that continues to elude many of NewDad’s peers. ‘Where I Go’ leads off a killer run at the heart of ‘Madra’ where the band – completed by guitarist Sean O’Dowd, bassist Cara Joshi and drummer Fiachra Parslow – set fresh benchmarks in quick succession.

‘In My Head’ and ‘Dream Of Me’ are dream-pop gems with some lovely, nerdy guitar stuff set off to each side in the mix, while ‘Let Go’ is a hulking, riffy beast. The central hook behind ‘Change My Mind’, meanwhile, is a real flex, taking on an immediately classic feel as Dawson’s voice twists in the air.

Its few prosaic moments – including the oddly-sequenced opening pair of ‘Angel’ and ‘Sickly Sweet’ – are at the very least stylish and delivered with muscular flair as Joshi’s bass does much of the heavy lifting. Equally, while NewDad might not be as structurally inventive as the power-pop-indebted Hotline TNT or as heavy as the nu-gaze-leaning Fleshwater, they are perhaps more streamlined and together, which counts for plenty.

‘Madra’ is the sound of a band who have reckoned with where they come from and used it to map out where they’re going. They’ll likely see you at the top.