Julie Dawson creates a cinematic soundscape of renewal and escapism on “Close The Door”

If you’ve ever used the phrase “don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” boy do I have a song for you.

Julie Dawson, lead singer and songwriter for the Galway band NewDad, is leaning into trancy EDM textures on her latest single “Close The Door.” The drop coincides with the release of her full-length LP Bottom Of The Pool. It’s been a busy year for Dawson, as NewDad released their debut album MADRA—an intense, distorted, guitar-centered record—at the top of the year. “Close The Door,” and the rest of the album that follows, shows that Dawson is eager to explore different avenues for her sound.

Dawson collaborated with electronic producer Jack Hamill on “Close The Door” and the rest of the tracks on Bottom Of The Pool, adding vocals to Hamill’s instrumentals she connected with the most. The pair meant to work on only a couple songs together, but ended up with enough to release a full LP. For these tracks, Dawson took inspiration from film and TV, setting out to create a more cinematic listening experience.

“Close The Door” establishes that alternate universe from the outset, with the bass tones building in the opening seconds, combined with Dawson’s various echoing adlibs layered on top of each other. It’s a full-body listening experience, and these opening moments act as the tunnel into the song’s world (personally, I picture something not far off from the tunnel Neo travels through when he enters the Matrix, but you can imagine whatever you want). Hamill’s production aids in transporting listeners into a hazy soundscape, with various elements (deep bass tones, pulsing backbeats, and a healthy amount of reverb, to name a few) creating an all-encompassing sound.

The synthy hook is eerie yet danceable, making this the perfect song for a ‘headphones in, world out’ dusk walk, or a night of chaos and lunacy at Ibiza nightclubs. There are muted moments that feel like taking a cig break outside of said Ibiza nightclub, but still being able to hear the party raging inside. It’s easy to imagine the kind of lights that would coincide with the track in a live performance: the buildups and drops are intense, and sometimes sneak up on you as Dawson’s whispery vocals draw listeners into her trance. It reminds me of many Rüfüs Du Sol songs, in the way that Tyrone Lindqvist’s vocals offer a smooth, melodic reprieve from the intensity of the drums and bass (“Lost In My Mind” is a good example of this). Dawson’s voice feels meant for the song and electronic/house/dance as a whole; it makes me wonder why she hasn’t been singing on these kinds of songs all along.

Lyrically, Dawson explores renewal and freedom, whether it be from a person, a place, or an entire timeline. Lines like “I feel safest here / On the edge like I could disappear” show that she may want to exist on the outskirts, distanced from those that might hurt her, while “It’s my body, my mind / And I want to leave it behind” evokes imagery of Dawson running from herself and her own thoughts. The lyrics combined with the chilling instrumentals give me an unsettled feeling in my gut, especially with lines like “I don’t know what’s real / Since I can barely feel” that leave me wondering what caused this derealization in the first place.

On “Close The Door,” Dawson’s intricate songwriting and intimate vocals perfectly complement Hamill’s deep, infectious production.