Album Review: NewDad, Madra

Following two well-received EPs – 2021's Waves and 2022's Banshee – NewDad’s eagerly awaited full-length debut is an album best enjoyed while testing the limits of your speakers. Its massive guitars are shimmery and dirty in all the right places, while the pounding rhythm section is enough to warrant a Ziggy Stardust-style “made to be played at maximum volume” sticker.

It's not too hard to pinpoint the hotly tipped Galway rockers’ influences. Comparisons will likely be made to fellow shoegazers Slowdive, while the lead playing on ‘Where I Go’ echoes much of Kevin Shields’ work on the seminal loveless.

The current Hot Press cover stars' musical inkwell goes deeper than their feedback-loving heroes, however. There are healthy doses of New Order chorus bass on songs like ‘Angel’ and ‘Nightmares’, and the verses on ‘Sickly Sweet’ exhibit a grungy ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ groove. The title track, meanwhile – the first song created for the album – hints at even more experimental adventures on NewDad's horizons over the years ahead.

Lyrically, Madra is open and intense, with its self-interrogation and brooding vulnerability very much in line with the current wave of fearlessly introspective Irish guitar bands. On ‘Nosebleed’ and ‘Change My Mind’ singer Julia Dawson is particularly candid, unafraid to share her raw, unfiltered accounts of toxic relationships and the inevitable head-fuckery which follows suit. She also has a fantastic ear for a chorus melody, with her confident yet delicate vocal delivery providing the album with many of its finest moments.

It's an unforgettable debut offering – putting the band in prime position for a massive international breakthrough, while also showcasing a captivating expansion of their sound and vision.

9/10

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NewDad are one of three special cover stars of our 'Hot For 2024' issue – out now: