NewDad - MADRA Review
Good news for the old heads and young reminiscers of the late 80s and 90s; Shoegaze is here to stay, kids!
NewDad’s debut LP ‘Madra’ mixes Rock with shoegaze, dipping into sweetness in its vulnerability, as well as exercising power and taking charge in unbalanced situations. The aforementioned title is, firstly, a word in Gaelic for dog. The four piece (consisting of lead singer and guitarist Julie Dawson, bassist Cara Joshi, drummer Fiachra Parslow and lead guitarist Sean O'Dowd), have been vocal in their pride for the Irish language and this incorporation through the title works perfectly to represent their values and themes of the album at the same time. The dog in question is a reference the things that follow you around, that entwines perfectly with all that is expressed through the lyricism of, this constant pervading sense of feeling smaller than what you are, with a singular burst out of this bubble feeling like a massive high.
Mixed by Alan Moulder, the elevation from previous projects and a more grandiose yet subtle amount of attention to the atmospherics adds to NewDad’s sense of ambition with the album, understanding a want for something bigger yet knowing where to let these moments happen.
Don’t fall into the lazy trope of grouping the band with a string of other Irish guitar bands having success at the moment. ‘Just Mustard ‘comes closer than the rest in terms of inspiration and affiliated sounds, inspiring the group to the point of reaching out to the sound engineer Chris Ryan, who would go onto helping them mix their earlier works.
The opening track ‘Angel’ establishes a mix of warmth and darkness, a perfect indicator for the balance displayed amongst the rest of the tracks. The fuzz of the bass line embeds the song into angst, leering territory, cemented with the one line “You’re an angel, just trying to be like you”.
A quieter moment within the track-list is on ’Nosebleed’, where peak vulnerability is on show as this sense of being trapped is paired with violent imagery of an emotion leading to visceral act. The song builds by each chorus, a new swell addition the tin company with the instrumentation.
One of the lead singles ‘Let Go’ is a breaking point in terms of the emotional display. A charming point to the track is the seductive bass line, fully launching themselves into the throes of unadulterated rock by the chorus. It’s a release from the cocoon of insecurity, a turning point in the narrator’s mindset that unlocks control in their circumstances.
If you’ve been successfully won over throughout the journey of the album, the closing track ‘Madra’ seals the deal. A return to a rockier sound that wraps up and encapsulates the mission statement of NewDad, sitting on a well thought out, curated album, meticulously track listed, choosing when to show vulnerability and heart, and where displaying power works between that. The alt rock band land cement their feet firmly on the ground with this project. There is a message, and storytelling that might go amiss but treating the album as a narrative project will reward you with details and intricacies that make the album stronger on repeated listens. For the most part, though, I want to give the lead singer, Julie Dawson, a sincere hug.