NewDad – Everything I Wanted
Irish alt-rock trio NewDad returned yesterday evening with their latest single, “Everything I Wanted.”
The track marks the final preview of their much-anticipated second album, Altar, out September 19th via Atlantic Records.
Written nearly two years ago, “Everything I Wanted” marked a turning point for frontwoman Julie Dawson in shaping the new album and brings into focus one of the record’s core themes. “This was the song that kind of set the tone for this album,” Julie explains. “It’s basically about expectations versus reality. There’s this idea, I think we all fall victim to, that once we achieve something or get something we’ve always wanted that we’ll finally be happy – but that’s never the case. It’s always, what’s next, I want more. This job can get very hard, very fraught, and I guess I had anticipated doing the thing I love most as my job would be easier and more fulfilling than this. ‘Everything I Wanted’ is me coming to terms with that.”
The single’s artwork was designed by Dublin-based, self-taught embroidery artist Domino Whisker, whose vivid, emotionally charged tapestries explore themes of memory, healing, and hope.
Following the cathartic punch of first single “Roobosh” and the wistful tenderness of its successor “Pretty,” the new single arrives with a sense of reckoning that runs throughout Altar.
Written across the aftermath of NewDad’s relocation from Galway to London, the record weighs sacrifice against ambition, and identity against survival. For Dawson, who still feels the pull of home daily, Altar is both a love letter to Galway and a document of the emotional cost of leaving it behind. “The album itself is where I divulge my love for home,” she explains. “It’s the idea that Ireland is the altar and it’s the thing that I worship, in a way.”
Thematically, the record sits in the push-and-pull between dream and reality: homesickness and healing (“Pretty”), rage and release (“Roobosh”), self-doubt and resilience (“Everything I Wanted”). Sonically, it finds NewDad expanding their sound into sharper, more pop-leaning spaces while retaining the immersive dream-pop textures that first made them one of Ireland’s most exciting young bands. Produced and half co-written by Shrink (Sam Breathwick), with the second half co-written alongside Justin Parker, Altar is the band’s boldest, most confident statement yet.
Since their debut single “How” in 2020, NewDad – Julie Dawson (vocals/guitar), Sean O’Dowd (guitar), and Fiachra Parslow (drums) – have steadily built a global reputation for their immersive alt-rock. Their acclaimed 2024 debut Madra saw them tour extensively across the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, supporting heavyweights like Pixies, The War on Drugs, and Fontaines D.C. Along the way, they’ve earned 80M+ streams, become mainstays at Radio 1 and 6Music, and even won the admiration of their hero Robert Smith.
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 Altar on the road later this year for a UK/EU headline run, including their biggest London show to date at the O2 Forum Kentish Town
OCTOBER
2nd – Norway, Oslo – John Dee
3rd – Sweden, Stockholm – Nalen Klubb
5th – Denmark, Copenhagen – Vega Small Room
6th – Germany, Hamburg – Nochtspeicher
7th – Germany, Berlin – Lido
9th – Italy, Milan – Arci Bellezza
10th – Switzerland, Zurich – Bogen F
11th – France, Paris – La Maroquinerie
13th – Belgium, Brussels – Botanique
14th – Netherlands, Amsterdam – Melkweg Old Hall
15th – France, Lille – L’Aeronef
18th – United Kingdom, Manchester – Academy 2
19th – United Kingdom, Sheffield – The Foundry
20th – United Kingdom, Glasgow – SWG3 TV Studio
22nd – United Kingdom, Bristol – Bristol Electric
23rd – United Kingdom, Cardiff – Tramshed
24th – United Kingdom, Birmingham – XOYO
26th – United Kingdom, Brighton – Chalk
28th – United Kingdom, London – O2 Forum Kentish Town
31st – Ireland, Dublin – 3Olympia
NOVEMBER
1st – Ireland, Cork – Cyprus Avenue
2nd – Ireland, Galway – Leisureland
4th – United Kingdom, Belfast – Mandela Hall
#newdad