Photo credit: Bella Howard
By Ella Bowler
Likened to the moodiness of The Cure, Pixies, and Lush-era Snail Mail, indie rock band NewDad bring us the new single “Say It” and announce the release date for their second EP Banshee, coming February 9 via Fair Youth Records.
Evoking opposing emotions to the melancholic “I Don’t Recognise You,” “Say It” conjures a sense of urgency, highlighting the development of NewDad’s style. Lead singer Julie Dawson’s vocals are ever the lynchpin of the song, capturing a bitterness and aggression not felt in previous tracks: “No, you don’t like me at all / You just want to see me fall for you.” The blunt lyricism precedes a breakdown of gunshot snares, with NewDad sounding as ambitious and experimental as ever.
On the single’s release, the band say:
“It’s about unrequited love, about when someone is with you but not really, it’s supposed to capture that frustration you feel when you’re giving someone your all and they’re giving you nothing in return. The fast pace of the song makes it feel like I’m venting which works considering the feelings of irritation and bitterness I’m talking about when you don’t want to like someone but you can’t help it.”
Banshee is the band’s sophomore EP, after they made a splash with their debut Waves in March 2021. The band recorded and co-produced the EP in Belfast with Chris W Ryan (who they previously teamed up with on Waves), while John Congleton (Lana Del Rey, Phoebe Bridgers) took up mixing duties.
“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! 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.” says NewDad on the EP.
Listen to “Say It” below:
The band have confirmed more live dates for spring and summer 2022. This March, the band will play SXSW, and they’ll be appearing at All Points East this upcoming August. NewDad will return to Ireland and the UK for their biggest tour to date.
Check out NewDad’s upcoming tour dates here.
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