NewDad release their long-awaited debut album ‘Madra’ (which means ‘dog’ in Irish) this January. A guitar-heavy record that explores themes of self-exploration, destruction, mental health and resistance, it’s one that we’ve been excited about since first hearing them on BBC 6 Music and then seeing them at 2022’s Glastonbury Festival.
‘Angel’ opens the record with melodic yet grunge-tinged guitar tones as Julie Dawson admits ‘It seems I forgot to care about anything but my own despair’. ‘Sickly Sweet’ follows and this song is more arty with danceable bass and lyrics delivered with beautiful spite: ‘And now I’m nauseous and I don’t even like you’. ‘Where I Go’ is altogether more restrained in with its Echo and the Bunnymen-esque sound but the subjects of bullying and feeling disconnected couldn’t be more important right now: ‘I think I lost something over time. I lost my body, it doesn’t feel like mine’.
‘Change My Mind’ opens with what quickly becomes the band’s potent shoegaze-infused guitar sound and is another considered and confessional piece – ‘Slip into the same old habits, and they sense the madness creeping its way back in’ – while ‘Nosebleed’ is a dark and fuzzy lullaby: ‘There’s no one left to hold as you’re drowning your sorrows’.’Dream of Me’ is rather fittingly very much in the dream pop genre, with some perfectly pitched and liberal use of the word ‘fuck’, while ‘Nightmares’ reminded us of Slow Pulp grappling with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but with a more personal touch: ‘At the end of the day I hope you’re in my nightmares because to dream of you is not fair’.
‘White Ribbons’ is another slow-burner that celebrates being there for one another – ‘It’s so pretty how you fix me every time’; ‘I promised to take care to the end, ’cause there were times you were my only friend’ – before the record closes with the emotional title track, a song that again finds Julie putting her thoughts about the vulnerability of mental health out there.
‘Madra’ is a highly accomplished debut that puts the fragility of the human mind at its centre, all surrounded by some of the most luscious guitar work you’ll hear in 2024. You’ll want to spend so much time with it. NewDad could be your new favorite band.
