NewDad “express adoration for Galway” on poignant new “love song”, ‘Pretty’

NewDad have released a “love letter” to their homeland of Galway with their new single ‘Pretty’ – check it out below.

• READ MORE: The future is NewDad’s for the taking

The trio, who grew up in the West Irish city and are now based in London, are preparing to release their second studio album ‘Altar’ on September 19, which you can pre-save/pre-order here.

Last month, they released the record’s lead single ‘Roobosh’, and now they are back with ‘Pretty’.

The track is produced with a hazy, woozy glow that mirrors the themes of nostalgia and home, as frontwoman Julie Dawson sings: “You look nice, like a dream / Swear on my life, bitter cold / Nowhere else I want to go / Cuz I love you in every picture, walking through / Heal my faith, haven’t found a better place”.

Dawson has said: “’Pretty’ is a lighter spin on a key theme of the album, homesickness. It was a way for me to express my adoration for Galway, it’s a love song really.”

“Coming to a place like London that’s so chaotic and overwhelming really made me appreciate the peace and quiet of home. Also the landscape, being able to see wide open fields and roads with no one on them it’s just so calming and I’m in love with it. That’s why I wrote this song”

NewDad have also announced a UK, Ireland and European tour that will kick off in Norway on October 2 and will includes dates in Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Brighton, London, Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast. Find the full list of dates here and get your UK tickets here and international tickets here.

‘Altar’ was written over the last two years and sees the band tackling their yearning for their hometown, having made the move to London. A press release specifies that it “explores themes of relationships, homesickness, ambition and sacrifice”.

‘Madra’ was named one of NME’s Top 100 Albums of 2024 and received a four-star review, which stated: “There is a point a few songs into the London-via-Galway quartet’s debut album when their past and present meet, with the roiling emotions of young adulthood contained in Julie Dawson’s lyrics cutting through the glistening, propulsive sound the band have fashioned into a protective cocoon since the release of their promising-if-half-formed early EPs.”

Dawson also released her debut solo album ‘Bottom Of The Pool’ last year, which she told NME was “definitely more pop-leaning, but still with all those heavy guitar and bass sounds. There’s a lot more synth sounds going on too. There’s a lot more going on, but still with that classic NewDad sound.”

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