# NewDad - Madra: Sweetly sick shoegaze for the Snapchat generation
- Source: The Mancunion (https://staging.mancunion.com/music/newdad-madra-album-review)
- By: Alex Cooper
- Published: 2024-02-05T15:00:33.000Z
- Section: Music
- Topics: newdad, newdad new album, newdad madra, newdad tickets, newdad manchester
**NewDad, new album? Atlantic's hottest new release sees the London-via-Galway outfit successfully dip their toe in several shoegazey pools**

**NewDad** have gone from honest underdogs in a post-punk revived Ireland, to Atlantic signees, and now to one of the most promising stars in the crystalising shoegaze revival. We live in a world where a teenager takes an interest in **Slowdive**'s music from TikTok, only to realise that [their father is in Slowdive.](https://www.tiktok.com/@vicenewzealand/video/7276268310776352001?lang=en) Shoegaze joined up the misfits of the London scene in the early nineties, and with its second wind, it has joined up a community, both online and in person.

The languid but flammable, definitive but self-deceptive genre is having a well-deserved revival. London-via-Galway’s NewDad are a perfect example of the cutting-edge. From the unequivocally genre-inspired first notes of ‘Angel’, the listener is left with several choices; listen to the lyrics and follow a story of young frustration, bathe in the cloud of sound, or both. Every option is an absolute delight.

They’ve had the major label treatment. [Profiles in NME](https://www.nme.com/features/the-cover/the-cover-newdad-interview-madra-3558685) are framed around taxis to fancy dinners; the album was recorded at Rockfield Studios, the birthplace of many beloved musical endeavours. Crucially, NewDad haven't gotten lost in the glamour. Following on from a promising, dazzling pre-album career, this is a fantastic representation of their early career.

Julie Dawson’s double-layered vocals harmonise and converse throughout *Madra*. They evoke doubt and all the things you feel in high-intensity, emotional situations. Although the album follows a largely orthodox song structure, this is not out of character for NewDad. They have drawn on their magnificent pre-album work, such as the resigned ‘Blue’ and the airy ‘I Don’t Recognise You’. Madra is a major label announcement of what NewDad do best, and will hopefully reach the right audiences.

Orthodoxy does not mean a lack of range. You have the crunchy ‘In My Head’, the gently explosive ‘Dream Of Me’, and the paper-thin ‘White Ribbons’. However, NewDad shine when they show their attitude. ‘Sweetly Sick’ is the standout track, seeing Dawson dealing with paradoxical frustration; attraction and exasperation.

[Embedded media](https://open.spotify.com/track/2mUl2MNzIO6BHCrI1QdEcj?si=155d508c9fa543fa)

They sometimes lean into post-punk sentiments, with Dawson duetting and duelling with Sean O’Dowd’s spun-out single notes over ‘Where I Go’. NewDad are immersive in the sense of traditional shoegaze, but have more of an overt kick; where **Neil Halstead**’s lyrics may hit you when you least expect it, Dawson’s will pack no punches.

It’s no surprise that the lyricist who gifted us “While you took your time, I wasted mine, I said I wanted you, you said you felt too blue” continues to be astonishing. Not only can the listener enjoy *Madra* for the here and now, but also to wonder and speculate which direction the band go next. They could play with song structure, like **Hotline TNT**, or lean deeper into the darker side of their sound.

Whichever they choose to do, *Madra* shows that New Dad will excel, whilst not falling too deeply into cliché or risking being pigeonholed. For a just over 40-minute LP and an announcement to the world, it’s not bad at all.