NewDad – ‘Altar’ album review: A new bar is set
I often worry that with shoegaze becoming more popular and listeners pining for atmosphere, the foundations of good songwriting, such as rhythm and melody, may be left behind. NewDad have put those worries to rest with their new album: Altar.
Let me reiterate, I’m a big fan of shoegaze, and think that the interesting way a lot of bands are able to use different effects in a bid to create a borderline cinematic atmosphere within their music is great. The aforementioned concern comes with the potential of an overreliance on these aspects, as it feels as though some bands in the modern age are more focused on atmosphere than creating an actual song.
At risk of rambling too much and coming across as a “back in my day” kind of music critic, I’ll quickly move on from my trepidation and instead focus on the triumph that is NewDad’s second album. Don’t get me wrong, this is a record that carries an ambience so thick I feel like I could reach out and touch it. However, intertwined within this cinematic style of music are excellent songs, tracks that are separate from one another and that champion different guitar riffs, vocal lines, rhythm and melody. Altar is more than a second album; it’s a piece of music which has set a new bar for guitar bands.
There isn’t really an emotion left untouched throughout this album. The core theme that spurred its creation was NewDad’s move to London and a subsequent yearning for their hometown. However, the album explores different ideas beyond that, such as relationships, homesickness, ambition and just general frustration, and you hear that variety in emotion throughout the healthy mix of songs.
Every member of this band contributes to the perfection of the cuts and the record as a whole. The guitar work contains hard-hitting riffs, great use of sporadic chord hits and licks, as well as the perfect blend of distortion and fuzz, lending Altar an unrelenting attitude I can’t celebrate enough. Equally, pair that with the driving drums that provide a rhythm you could dance on top of, and you have the instrumentation set for one of the best albums of the year.
However, this review really wouldn’t be complete without shining a light on the exceptional vocals of lead singer Julie Dawson. Her range means that a sweet tone is injected into every song, regardless of whether she’s singing high or low. It sits on top of that instrumentation so perfectly, and takes what would have been a good album and makes it great.
I previously mentioned the range of emotion that was present throughout this album, and it wouldn’t be properly conveyed without Dawson on vocals. She admitted that the song ‘Roobosh’, one of the album’s leading singles, was written purely because she wanted a song where she could scream. Why not set aside time on a stunning album to let out a bit of anger here and there? And Dawson does it perfectly. On top of that, you have songs such as ‘Misery’, ‘Entertainer’ and ‘Everything I Wanted’, all of which showcase her vocal ability and the band’s exceptional dexterity to navigate melody.
This is how a rock album should sound in the modern age if the band wants to use elements of shoegaze. Add some effects, give it some atmosphere, sure, but stay close to the fundamentals of songwriting by injecting emotion, melody and whatever the word is for something that gets listeners nodding their heads. NewDad celebrates all these aspects and more on Altar, a catchy, fun, heartfelt, and unbelievably put-together album that will be chalked down in history as a benchmark.
Defining track: ‘Misery’ – Every song on this album is a pretty good reflection of what I like about it so much, but ‘Misery’ really caught my ear. The sporadic and aggressive guitar hits, emotion in the vocals and all-around catchiness is really unlike anything out there at the minute.
For fans of: Smoking in the rain, jacket weather, and thinking everyone else can hear the music in your earphones.
A concluding comment from the distortion and fuzz pedal that fell in love during the making of this album: “We’re expecting”.
Release date: September 19th, 2025 | Producer: Shrink | Label: Atlantic Records
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