Irish rock duo Dea Matrona first met under competitive circumstances. In their early teens, vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Mollie McGinn and Orláith Forsythe forged the foundations of their friendship as contenders in an Irish language singing competition, before uniting to go busking together on the streets of Belfast, which marked the beginning of a near decade-long journey as musical partners.
Dea Matrona’s ascent has been driven by a vehement DIY attitude, honing their sound through years of performing live to build up a loyal fanbase and self-funding their own releases. Their 2024 debut album, For Your Sins, reached No.1 on the Independent breakers charts, received airplay on BBC Radio 1, took them to Glastonbury and also secured them a slot supporting Canadian rock favourites The Beaches on tour. This summer, the duo will be joining music icon Sting on the road, bringing their genre-blending sounds to even bigger stages.
Now, on the cusp of releasing their highly anticipated sophomore album, Hate That I Care (due on 5th June 2026 via AWAL), Dea Matrona have upped the ante, tackling both the personal and political issues that have moulded them into the band - and the young women - that they are today. Their new record explores themes of female empowerment and identity from an Irish perspective, as well as the feeling of being an outsider, in both a musical and deeply personal sense. McGinn sums this up eloquently: “We're excited to release this album. We feel like it's more ourselves and it's more aware of the world around us, how we feel we fit into it and being more bold with what we want to say.”
Whilst there is a strong sense of nostalgia running through their music, reminiscent of the dreamy hooks crafted by legendary bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Cranberries, Dea Matrona’s perceptive lyrics are firmly rooted in the present. Predominantly writing and recording songs together in the back of the van that they share to go on tour, the duo work through feelings of imposter syndrome and their frustrations at the world around them to create their high energy, swaggering rock-inspired sounds.
The joy that Dea Matrona feels when writing together is personified most vehemently on “Told U I’m Strange”, the final track on their upcoming LP. It’s a carefree anthem prompted by a fun improv writing session, which Forsythe remembers fondly: “It's funny, because the album starts with [the title track] “Hate That I Care” and the feeling that you care so much and it ends with “Told U I’m Strange - so it's kind of like ‘Ha! Joke’s on you!’” Whatever the Dea Matrona encounter together, McGinn sums up her relationship with Forsythe perfectly: “Just strange and having a lot of fun!”
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