Striking the Dublin music scene with galvanising energy, Dominda (pronounced dough-mind-dah) release their semi-eponymous debut EP ‘Don’t Mind That’ on Friday, February 23rd. Composed of Ruaidhrí Whelan, Stephen Curtis, Luke Cunningham, Seán Curtis and Barry Lysaght, the five piece have been playing together in one form or another since their school days, with Dominda officially forming in 2022. Refusing to be confined by genre, Dominda brings a unique sound to the city, fusing classic rock with neo-soul and hip-hop to shape a journey through the plights and wild nights of hurling towards their late twenties.

Recorded in The Clinic with Cian Synott, ‘Don’t Mind That’ opens with the hard-hitting, heavy-rock inspired Meet Me in the Morning. Oscillating between sober self-reflection and satire as a means of understanding and acceptance, the tone shifts in She Got Into Berghain. Exploring lust with a funky, neo-soul sound and amusing lyrical exploration of a Dublin cool girl, Cunningham muses ‘I coulda watched her chainsmoke rollies all night’.

You Never Told Me About Him follows suit, employing a back and forth exploration of the perils of the heart with rhythmic lyricism and a funky guitar rhythm. A key change in the last riff smooths the transition into the Tea With Honey, the penultimate track which steadily showcases the range of the band and emits a soulful jazz melody, reminiscent of Tom Misch and Yussef Deyes. Ethereal and dreamlike in both lyrics and execution, Tea With Honey stands out as a transcendental and wistful track executed with heart, laying worship to infatuation while highlighting the subject as ‘every boy’s manic pixie dream’.

Closing the EP, Dominda makes a swift shift to a 2000’s pop-punk influence with Snakes, relying on heavy percussion and ending with a catchy, chanty riff. An EP of flavour, depth and variety, ‘Don’t Mind That’ catapults Dominda into the scene, building anticipation and an appetite for what’s to come.

Upcoming gigs

24.02.24 || Dublin || The Workman’s Club

05.03.24 || Dublin || The Bunker Studio

30.03.24 || Dublin || The Workman’s Cellar (EP Launch)