We Speak Pop

Stream Soda Blonde’s sophomore album ‘Dream Big’ now!

Published

3 years ago

September 18, 2023

Don Reed

“Dublin darlings Soda Blonde have returned after two long years with a cathartic eruption of passion and purpose.” – Atwood Magazine

“artful pop music that is both inordinately sophisticated and eminently hummable” – The Irish Post

“[Dream Big’s] lush synth and warm pop sensibilities confronting the face of our collective societal angst positions it as one of the more exciting album releases of the fall calendar” – Vanyaland

Irish indie-pop favourites Soda Blonde are delighted to share their “Dream Big” album, available now across music platforms via Overbite Records. The album was preceded by singles“Bad Machine” and “Midnight Show”.

Lead single “Bad Machine” fuses warm vocals with fuzzy synths, bringing a sense of sonic pleasure with its self-acceptance message. Indie pop and vibrant electronica combine to create a song with vigour and excitement.

The band set the tone for “Dream Big” on album opener “Midnight Show,” a stunningly cinematic power ballad weighing disillusionment with the music industry on one hand, and the unapologetic pursuit of one’s desires – to the point of prostituting yourself for success – on the other.

“Dream Big” leaves no stone unturned: “You are so damaged,” O’Rourke sings in Boys,” channelling inner pain and fracture into a visceral and textured anthem. Our physical (and mental) fragility comes to the forefront on the beautifully bittersweet “An Accident,” a tender ballad balancing tragedy with hope:

Meanwhile in “Space Baby,” Soda Blonde breathe fresh energy into a song about love, honesty, and claustrophobia, by quite literally removing the breaths themselves: O’Regan employed a chopped production technique to the track, sucking out all the air to recreate the lyrics’ stifled sensation.

In “Why Die for Danzig,” Soda Blonde revive an anti-WWII slogan, originally written by French Neo-Socialist Marcel Déat, for a song that delves not only into war, but also into how people treat refugees differently depending on where they come from.

Ultimately, “Dream Big” is for everyone. There are many tracks here that speak to different moments, feelings, or expressions of emotion, all intricately stitched together with eloquent synths, musical arrangements, and rhythms.

Tickets are on sale now for Soda Blonde’s November ‘Dream Big’ tour.

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We Speak Pop

Yseult Takes Full Control on Third Album FREAK

Published

20 hours ago

November 1, 2026

We Speak Media

Yseult. Photo via @yseult.

French singer Yseult has released FREAK, her third studio album, out now through her own label, Y.Y.Y. The 12 track record arrived on October 30, 2026, and it presents the artist fully in command of her work, writing, shaping and releasing the album on her own terms.

The tracklist runs Daddy (intro), 1-800 Adults Only, Heart Attack, Freak featuring JT, S#xx, Is It a Crime, Superstar, Dear God, S#x Youself, Now or Never, One More Time and a closing original version of Freak. One More Time was co-written with Rachel West, Jarrett Goodly, known as Sensei Bueno, and Harry Charles. The JT collaboration places Yseult alongside one of American rap’s most electric voices, while the rest of the record swings between provocation and vulnerability, club pressure and confessional calm.

Yseult, born Yseult Onguenet, has built her career by refusing every box offered to her, moving from French pop beginnings into a sound and image that answer to no format. Releasing FREAK through her own imprint is the logical next step in that story: ownership as artistry. She announced the album to her fans as a celebration and urged them to buy it, speaking with the directness that has made her one of the most compelling figures in French music. With FREAK out in the world, Yseult owns the masters, the message and the moment. The campaign carried her signature theatrical humor, pairing the rollout with an Aretha Franklin reference for her followers, and everything about the release feels deliberate. FREAK is streaming now.