M’ADAM Confronts Loss and Memory on 'Before We Die'

Irish songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam O’Donovan, performing under the moniker M’ADAM, releases his highly anticipated second album, Before We Die.

Produced by Kealan Kenny, the record drifts elegantly between indie-folk, folk rock, and chamber pop, carrying a contemplative weight that lingers long after the final note. It is a record that confronts grief and memory with honesty, tracing the fragile state of the world we inhabit while mapping the personal landscapes of loss.

Before We Die is expansive in its vision and collaborative in its execution. O’Donovan brings together an extended family of musicians, including SAL (Sara Ryan), Sarah Hickey, Dylan Howe, Eoin Barclay, Davie Ryan, Maria Ryan, Michael Riordan, and producer Kealan Kenny. Áine Delaney’s orchestral string arrangements lend the album an ethereal gravitas, while passages from the late poet Eoin Murray appear like whispered ghosts between songs, emphasizing the album’s preoccupation with presence and absence.

The album’s title evokes both urgency and reflection, capturing the tension between living fully and reckoning with mortality. According to O’Donovan, Before We Die grew from the idea that “we are all ghosts”—that life and death are intertwined states we carry with us. Across its tracks, M’ADAM explores stages of grief, the lingering influence of those we’ve lost, and the delicate intersections of love and memory. Maria Murray’s artwork for the album visually echoes this theme, capturing the sense of fragile beauty threaded throughout the music.

Critics have responded to the album’s unflinching honesty. Hot Press lauded M’ADAM’s “penchant for tackling heavy subject matter head on,” while Music Crowns emphasized the emotional directness: “Heavy, yes—but honest. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need.” The new release builds on the promise of his 2023 debut, Horse Food Budget 1984, further refining a voice unafraid to experiment, reflect, and invite listeners into intimate emotional spaces.

For those drawn to the lyrical introspection of Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, or Conor Oberst, M’ADAM offers something both familiar and distinctly Irish. With Before We Die, Adam O’Donovan proves himself a songwriter attuned to the human condition, blending melancholy with hope, memory with immediacy, and crafting a record that resonates far beyond its sonic textures. In confronting the impermanence of life, M’ADAM reminds us why music remains one of our most enduring anchors.