M’ADAM explores grief and memory on new album, Before We Die

Cork songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam O’Donovan, known as M’ADAM, releases his second album Before We Die this Friday, August 29th. Produced by Kealan Kenny, the record drifts between indie-folk, folk rock and chamber pop, carrying a weight that reflects on loss, memory, and the fragile state of the world we live in.

The album features an extended family of collaborators including SAL (Sara Ryan), Sarah Hickey, Dylan Howe (Rowan, Hánt), Eoin Barclay, Davie Ryan, Maria Ryan, Michael Riordan, and Kealan Kenny. Áine Delaney’s string arrangements bring an orchestral edge, while passages from the late poet Eoin Murray appear like ghostly fragments between songs.

The title Before We Die hints at both urgency and reflection. The album’s concept, which inspired Maria Murray’s artwork, grew from the idea that “we are all ghosts”—that life and death are not opposites, but overlapping states we carry with us. Across the record, M’ADAM maps out different stages of grief and the lingering presence of those we’ve lost.

Speaking on the release, he says:

“This album grew out of grief but also out of love. It helped me understand how much the people we’ve lost still shape the lives we lead, how entangled they are with us, even in absence.”

Critics have already highlighted the honesty in his recent singles. Hot Press noted his “penchant for tackling heavy subject matter head on,” while Music Crowns praised the emotional directness: “Heavy, yes — but honest. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.”

M’ADAM’s 2023 debut Horse Food Budget 1984 introduced a voice unafraid to experiment and reflect. With Before We Die, he takes that voice further — softer in places, heavier in others, but always grounded in human connection.

About M’ADAM
Adam O’Donovan, known musically as M’ADAM, is a songwriter and musician from Cork, Ireland. Trained in classical piano but long since drawn to original indie songwriting, he began releasing solo music under the M’ADAM moniker in 2019 after years performing with Cork-based acts like Atlantis Fire Department, Cassidy Club, and Rob Carlile.

For fans of artists like Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and Conor Oberst - M’ADAM offers something similarly lyrical, but distinctly Irish in tone and perspective.

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