Dea Matrona

The Irish rock duo Dea Matrona first met in a competitive setting. In early adolescence, singers and multi-instrumentalists Mollie McGinn and Orláith Forsythe laid the foundations of their friendship while both were taking part in an Irish-language singing competition, before joining forces to play together on the streets of Belfast. That marked the start of a journey of nearly ten years as musical partners.

Dea Matrona's rise rests on a fiercely DIY mindset: over the years on stage, the duo honed its sound, built a loyal fanbase and self-funded its own releases. Their debut album, For Your Sins, released in 2024, reached number one on the Independent Breakers chart, was played on BBC Radio 1, took them to Glastonbury and also earned them the support slot on tour for Canadian rockers The Beaches. This summer, the duo will join Sting on the road, carrying their hybrid sound to even bigger stages.

As they prepare to release their long-awaited second album, Hate That I Care (due 5 June 2026 via AWAL), Dea Matrona is stepping up a gear, tackling the personal and political issues that have shaped them as a band. The new record explores themes of female empowerment and identity through an Irish lens, as well as the feeling of being an outsider, both musically and deeply personally.

McGinn sums it up well: « We're so excited to put this album out. We feel it's more like us, more conscious of the world around us, of how we fit into it, and it says more clearly what we want to say.  »