Soda Blonde
Soda Blonde is an Irish alt-pop band from Dublin that formed in 2019 after the breakup of the indie group Little Green Cars. The lineup is Faye O’Rourke (vocals), Adam O’Regan (guitar and visuals), Donagh Seaver O’Leary (bass), and Dylan Lynch (drums). They shifted from their previous guitar-driven sound to a synth-driven, cinematic pop style.
Their live debut was in May 2019 in Dublin, and they soon performed on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, performing their first single Swimming Through the Night, which was released June 7, 2019. The track marked a new direction for the band and drew early praise for O’Rourke’s distinctive voice and the song’s emotional depth.
In November 2019 they released their debut EP, Terrible Hands, on Overbite Records. It features four tracks, including Swimming Through the Night and Terrible Hands, and received positive reviews in Ireland. Soda Blonde toured Ireland and the UK that year, ending with two sold-out shows at Whelan’s in Dublin.
In May 2020 they released isolation content, a four‑track EP created remotely during Ireland’s COVID-19 lockdown. The songs addressed themes of distance and resilience and helped keep the band connected with fans during the pause in live work.
Their debut album, Small Talk, came out on July 9, 2021, on Velveteen Records. Written and produced by the band, the album blends indie pop, art rock, and synth textures, with introspective lyrics about youth, vulnerability, identity, and relationships. The title track had a music video directed by Adam O’Regan. Small Talk received strong reviews and was shortlisted for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2021. A late-2021 tour included three sold-out Dublin shows at Whelan’s.
Dream Big, the band’s second album, was released on September 8, 2023, on Overbite Records. Written, produced, and mixed by Soda Blonde, it broadened their sound to include art-pop, rock, and folk influences. The album’s themes include ambition, disillusionment, and the pressures of modern life. Tracks like Bad Machine and Why Die for Danzig were highlighted in reviews, with the latter also drawing attention for its political satire. Dream Big was acclaimed by critics, topped the Irish Independent’s Best Irish Albums of 2023, and was shortlisted for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Album of the Year 2023. A provocative video for Bad Machine and a satirical video for Why Die for Danzig led to media discussions, and the band publicly cancelled their SXSW 2024 appearance in protest of the festival’s sponsorship.
The Dream Big tour ran through late 2023 with sold-out shows in Ireland and the UK, including Dublin’s Vicar Street and London’s The Lexington. In July 2024, Soda Blonde performed Dream Big with the National Symphony Orchestra at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, an event recorded for a concert film and live album.
Since then they’ve released standalone singles: Bully in October 2024, The Saddest Thing in November 2024, and People Pleaser in February 2025. They also announced a return to SXSW in 2025 after policy changes at the festival.
Soda Blonde are known for evolving from indie rock into a bold, self-sufficient alt-pop act, delivering ambitious music from their own label and earning growing international recognition.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:16 (CET).