Today, Irish alt-rock trio NewDad share the latest glimpse into their forthcoming second album Altar with poignant new single “Pretty”, released today via Atlantic Records. The track stories the band’s love and admiration of Galway - their hometown - and arrives alongside a stunning visualizer set in the City, directed by longtime collaborator Peter Eason Daniels - one of the creative minds behind the visual world of Altar.

NewDad, "Pretty":

“Pretty” was conceived during one of the band’s early writing sessions in Galway last year alongside original band member Aindle O'Beirn, and follows the forerunning punchy-angst of “Roobosh” - the first taste of NewDad’s new era, released last month. While the first track offered catharsis through rage, “Pretty” in contrast, is a tender, introspective moment on the record - equal parts wistful and sharp. “‘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,” adds frontwoman Julie Dawson. Shimmering guitars and delicate melodies frame Julie’s hushed vocals as she contemplates “the way home looks, sounds, how even on the darkest, wettest days it’s the most beautiful place in the world to me and I yearn for it every single day of my life.” Like much of Altar, it captures NewDad’s evolving sound: dreamy yet grounded, wide in scope yet intimately personal.

“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” - Julie Dawson

Written across two years in the aftermath of the band’s relocation from Galway to London, Altar reflects on homesickness, identity, and the emotional cost of chasing a dream. It's a record that balances light and dark, heaviness and healing, with frontwoman Julie Dawson explaining: “The album itself is where I divulge my love for home. It’s the idea that Ireland is the altar and it’s the thing that I worship, in a way.”

Produced and half co-written by Shrink (Sam Breathwick), with the second half co-written alongside Justin Parker, the album marks a bold step forward for NewDad, expanding their sonic palette by effortlessly blending dream-pop textures with jagged guitar lines and emotionally raw lyricism. Since their debut How in 2020, the Galway-born, London-based trio - Julie Dawson (vocals/guitar), Sean O’Dowd (guitar), and Fiachra Parslow (drums) - have earned international acclaim for their lush, immersive alt-rock sound. Following the release of breakthrough debut Madra in 2024, which saw them tour extensively across the UK, Europe, Asia, and North America and support acts like Pixies, The War on Drugs, and Fontaines DC, the band have grown in both confidence and clarity. Now, with Altar - a reflection on identity, sacrifice, and the tension between comfort and ambition - NewDad are poised to showcase an even bolder evolution and reach new creative heights. Following a huge run of headline shows across China and a run of festivals in Japan and North America, the trio will take the album on the road later this year for a UK/EU tour, full itinerary below, and tickets on sale HERE.

NewDad 2025 North American Tour Dates

August

2nd - USA, Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza / Reggie's Rock Club (w/ Wunderhorse)
6th - USA, Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
8th - USA, San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
9th - USA, Sacramento, CA - Channel 24 (w/ Mannequin Pussy)
12th - USA, Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
13th - Canada, Vancouver, BC, Biltmore Cabaret
14th - USA Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's

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