Out today ! New single “ADHD” from MuddiBrooke

If you’ve followed us for a while here at LiveWire Music, you’ll know we’ve covered MuddiBrooke before. MuddiBrooke are Harriet McDonnell 'Brooke' (Lead vocals & guitar), Anna Melidone (Bass & backing vocals) and Morgan Pettigrew (drums). Formed in 2020 in Derby the alt-rock/grunge artists have released a string of excellent singles, and now, we know there is a debut album to look forward to in 2024 ! Their profile is on the rise, having supported the likes of The Virginmarys, Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age) the Black Spiders and Black Star Riders, and have garnered praise from the likes of Kerrang, Maximum Volume Music and Radio 1, with Nels Hylton saying “This band has definitely caught my attention – they’re insanely good”.

Well, we’ve got an early taste of the debut album, with new single ADHD out today. If you don’t know, ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and is a condition that affects people's behaviour, which can make them restless, impulsive and have difficulty concentrating.

ADHD is something that Brooke was diagnosed with during Covid. Brooke said “I was only diagnosed with ADHD a couple years back. It was during lockdown that I stumbled into an internet wormhole and found a lot of people talking about it; they had the same symptoms as me. Once I was diagnosed with it, I had a lot of mixed emotions. I was sad because I wish I’d known sooner - and I wish I could have told that little girl that she wasn’t stupid or slow. But I also felt relieved that I wasn’t lazy or rude, I just can’t help it sometimes.”

Brooke went on to say: “I was writing a completely different song, when I hit a wall and couldn’t get any further with it. I was tearing my hair out and I said to myself ‘f***ing ADHD!’ - and so, I started writing a new song.”

“The song has a chaotic feel about it - especially towards the end. I wanted to capture how it feels (for me) to have ADHD and have multiple, overlapping thoughts, all at the same time.”

And this is what MuddiBrooke do so so well. They write songs about difficult subjects, things that are very personal to them, but do it in an honest and emotional way, expressing anger or dismay and a whole host of other emotions, but in a constructive and positive way. This one is just like that, and not unlike previous release You Don’t Own Me a powerful song about mentally abusive relationships.

Well known for their alternative rock / grunge feel, with fuzzy guitar riffs, complimented by excellent heavy bass from Anna, underpinned and held together by some excellent powerful and pounding drumming from Morgan, this one feels a little different. ADHD has a more frantic and punk styling to its sound, befitting its subject matter.

The lyrics have that punk attitude too, short and punchy and staccato in form and yet, as only punk can do so well, incredibly expressive with lines like this that show the impact and effect of ADHD on writing songs: “Wanna be less distracted, Wanna be in hyperfocus, Give me no distractions, So that I can write this chorus”. They also describe so well, the impact on relationships “I want to tell you every little thing, But I know I’ll drive you Ironically insane. You think it’s cool now, Eventually you’ll run from me. It’s so lonely having…. [ADHD]”.

The song becomes more frenetic as it develops replicating the effects of ADHD. It’s a wonderfully insightful view into the turmoil in Brooke’s mind she deals with on a daily basis.

The riffs are energetic, sharp and clear and the drums are more front and centre stage in this one, showcasing Morgans talents but creating a sense of restlessness and chaos to the track. In the chorus sections, a cowbell is quite noticeable in the mix, and I love the effect it has adding to the depth of the sound, but in a way almost ’annoying’ (in a good way) in it’s repetitious simple form, perhaps expressing the repetitive intensity suffers have with their thoughts ? The drum mix with Anna’s heavy bass is spot on and create a real powerful number.

It’s a cracker, and I enjoyed the change in direction with this one, which still has that core MuddiBrooke personal touch and subject, but draped in a richer, more powerful drum heavy punked up sound what suits Brooke’s amazing vocals perfectly.

And with the news that finally, we’re going to get a MuddiBrooke album in 2024, this is n exciting glimpse onto what we can expect. I’ll be getting my pre-order in as soon as I can (vinyl option please Brooke x !)

Love it, as always MuddiBrooke deliver the goods and a cracking 9.0 from LiveWire

If you like what you heard, there’s plenty of opportunities to catch MuddiBrooke live in the coming months with their own headline shows, and support for the likes of the Virginmary’s and Wayward Sons, check out the list of dates below:

Upcoming MuddiBrooke Shows

November 2023

4th - Hard Rock Hell - Great Yarmouth

10th - Rough Trade - Nottingham

11th - Little Buildings - Newcastle

17th - The Vaults - York

18th - Retro - Manchester

December 2023

1st - Planet Rockstock - South Wales

8th - Tivoli - Buckley (#1)

9th - Wroot Rocks - Doncaster (#2) [Acoustic]

10th - Queens Hall - Nuneaton (#1)