Dear Prudence
Download Formed in late 2011, the soul of the band originated in the form
of acoustic songs written by vocalist Madi Poncia, whose work in
previous local bands had left her unfulfilled. “This band is how I
always wanted to present my music,” Madi states plainly. “My main
inspiration comes from Siouxsie and The Banshees – whose version of The
Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” gave the band its name – The Cure, and
Depeche Mode, and it’s my way of channeling those influences while
using music as a creative outlet that allows me to truly express
myself. Ultimately I just want to be able to make music that matters to
us as a band, and that people can relate to – and hopefully fall in
love with.” Recruiting friend Paul Egan on bass, the rest of the line
up was soon fleshed out with guitarist Rick Ahir, keyboardist Andy
Highmore, and drummer Alexis Nunez, the five members quickly gelling
and forming a unified vision for the band that everyone contributes to.
The sound that results from this union is one that is both tightly
constructed while organic and natural, comprised of rich textures that
enhance the mood of the songs without drowning them in unnecessary
theatrics. With beds of keyboards layered up over the driving rhythmic
backbone of the band, Rick’s riffs and leads add depth and flavour to
the songs without dominating them, and the interplay between the
instrumentalists is fluid and instinctive, never sounding forced.
A charismatic unit, the focal point undeniably falls on Madi, whose
diminutive stature is belied by her towering, soulful voice and
commanding presence. “People tell me all the time they can’t believe
that this massive voice comes out of me because I’m so tiny, and I
really like that, I like that it’s unexpected and it’s all me,” she
laughs. With integrity important to them, the band do not pretend to be
anything they are not, and Madi eschews the Americanized nasal whine
affected by far too many British vocalists of late. “To be honest I
wasn’t even aware that I was doing that,” she smiles. “It’s just the
way it comes out, and that’s grown and developed over the years. But
when I think of those kind of vocals I think of pop-punk bands, and I
don’t know exactly where you would say Dear Prudence fits in, but I’d
say that we’re actually closer to ‘punk-pop’ in our influences and in
the melodies and hooks that we write.”
Perhaps the most potent and alluring contradiction inherent in the band
is that which exists in the juxtaposition of Madi’s aching, frequently
sad lyrics and the upbeat, lively bounce of their music. This is
perhaps most plainly apparent in “Coming Apart Again”, which surges on a
throbbing rhythm and layers of warm synth sounds that New Order would
be proud of as she frankly laments the collapse of a relationship in
heartbreaking terms. “I’m a happy person, but in everyone there’s that
darkness that just comes with experience. We don’t necessarily approach a
song looking for that juxtaposition, it just comes out that way, but I
think the two balance out each other quite nicely.”
Madi is equally candid on the bobbing and playful “Mourning After”,
looking at the consequences of ignoring the mistakes about to be made in
the haze of good times, and the up-tempo “Belong”. The latter’s
gorgeous hooks and lively delivery immediately grab the listener as
Madi searches desperately for a sense of direction, as evidenced in the
chorus, in which she sings ‘When nothing feels like home/I'm tired and
I am done pretending/I still believe in happy endings/But I can't find
it on my own/So tell me where do I belong?’ For Madi, the roots of
this lay in her late teens and early twenties as she tried to figure
out what she was going to do with her life. “Everybody goes through
that, and it’s such a massive thing to find out who you are and what
you’re going to do, and hopefully that’s an anthem for people who are
lost and asking who am I?”
