Galway indie outfit NewDad release dreamy sophomore EP Banshee

Breakout indie outfit NewDad have unveiled their brilliant second EP today in the form of Banshee, via Fair Youth Records.

The eclectic new EP features previewed singles 'Say It' and 'Ladybird' - plus new offerings 'Banshee', 'Spring' and 'Thinking Too Much'. Banshee recorded and co-produced in Belfast with frequent collaborator Chris W Ryan and was mixed by John Congleton (Lana Del Rey, Phoebe Bridgers).

“This EP is definitely bigger, having more time in the studio definitely meant we got to experiment more and layer more into each track so there’s an overall bigger sound!" NewDad said of their new EP. "The main themes of this EP are restlessness and anxiety, during lockdown that’s how myself and most people were feeling so that’s what inspired a lot of the writing.”

The new music is brighter, something Julie pins on the excitement of moving in together as a band.

“There’s a lightness to the songs and we’re moving in a more pop direction, too.” 'Ladybird' was inspired by the Greta Gerwig movie of the same name while the bittersweet jangle of 'Say It' deals with the heartache of being more interested in someone than they are in you.

Speaking of the title track with Dork magazine, Julie Dawson said: "‘Banshee’ is the title track and probably my favourite off the EP. I adore the bassline and the main guitar and how they dance around each other. The idea behind the song is that you’re looking at someone who’s struggling, and you see they’ve become a shell of themselves, like a ghost, or a banshee, more specifically.

"Banshees are from Irish folklore, which I think is cool, and the idea that they herald the death of someone kinda ties in with the idea that this person is on their last legs."

Other songs, including the epic and sprawling 'Spring', are more inward looking and tackle the waves of anxiety living in the modern world can make feel inescapable. “I’ve written a lot of songs about dreams, sleep and restlessness," Dawson elaborates. "This past year has added a whole heap of pressure onto us so I’ve been doing a lot of talking through what’s going on in my mind.”

NewDad's latest slate of songs capture a moment in time for a band with big ambitions, and a bright future they’re eager to chase down as quickly as possible. Work has already begun on a debut album.

Julie Dawson fronts the rising band alongside Áindle O'Beirn, Sean O'Dowd, and Fiachra Parslow. NewDad formed while still at school in Galway and credit a random band name generator for their unusual moniker. In early 2020, they recruited Sean O'Dowd on bass, having existed as a three piece prior to that point.

Initially getting together because Julie “hates playing and singing on my own,” the band grew more serious about their sound and decided to move in together to write and record as much as possible when lockdown hit. Seems like it all paid off in the end for the quartet, who recently announced details of a US headline tour.

Listen to the Banshee EP in full below:

Revisit NewDad's March 2021 interview with Hot Press here.

NewDad live dates:

March

Mon 14th: Zone One at Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY
Tues 22nd: Moroccan Lounge, Los Angeles
Mon 28th: Brighton, Chalk
Tues 29th: London, Heaven
Thurs 31st: Bristol, Thekla

April

Fri 1st: Birmingham, O2 Academy 3
Sun 3rd: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Mon 4th: Manchester, Gorilla
Tues 5th: Glasgow, Oran Mor
Thurs 7th: Dublin, Whelans

August

Fri 19th: All Points East at Victoria Park