Notify – share ‘Sydenham’ the opening track from new album ‘For Now’ coming in October

Irish contemporary folk innovators NOTIFY today unveil ‘Sydenham’, the first single from their forthcoming album For Now, due for release on 16 October 2026.

Opening track Sydenham marks the point where the record first began. Named after the house where drummer Davie Ryan lives, the tune emerged from the band’s earliest writing sessions together and became the spark from which the wider album grew.

At that stage, there was no grand plan. The six musicians were simply gathering to explore new ideas, following whatever directions the music suggested. Out of those sessions came Sydenham, a piece that carries the sense of discovery and possibility that would come to define the album.

As For Now developed, the tune naturally remained at its front door. Naming it after the place where those first conversations and experiments took place became a way of acknowledging the environment that shaped the record’s beginnings.

The track also serves as an introduction to the musical world of For Now. Rooted in traditional music but open to improvisation, texture and interplay, it reflects the band’s ongoing commitment to balancing individual voices with a shared musical identity.

‘Sydenham’ was composed by Pádraig Rynne, arranged and performed by NOTIFY, and produced by Pádraig Rynne and Davie Ryan. The track was recorded by Joe McGrath at Hellfire Recording Studios, mixed by Alex Borwick and mastered by Sam Proctor at Lismore Mastering.

For Now is a record shaped as much by instinct as by composition. The music that brought NOTIFY into the studio provided the foundation, but the band deliberately left room for spontaneity: arrangements were often discovered together on the mornings of recording, first takes remained first takes, and unplanned ideas were allowed to redirect the music. The result is an album that feels immediate, exploratory, and deeply connected to the people in the room.

Place is woven throughout the record. Sydenham, the first piece written for the album, takes its name from Davie’s home, where the earliest ideas began. Caherea Valley looks from Pádraig’s childhood home towards the Shannon Estuary; Alderman’s Bath recalls a place close to where Rory grew up outside Cork City; and Glenveagh bears the name of Hugh’s childhood home in Cobh. These locations are more than titles: they hold the memories, friendships and personal histories from which the music emerged.

Featuring guest appearances from two-time GRAMMY Award winner Rhiannon Giddens, and acclaimed Galway songwriter Niamh Regan, listeners can expect music rooted in traditional practice but unafraid of rhythmic and textural experimentation. Acoustic instruments move from intimate, exposed lines to dense ensemble passages; familiar forms such as reels, jigs, songs and slow airs are opened into less predictable spaces. Odd metres are central to the record’s motion: Weather the Storm drives through 7/8, Glenveagh sets 4/4 against 7/8, and the closing title track gradually reveals a concealed 9/8 pulse.

For Now is not intended as a final statement. It is a reflection of who we are at this particular moment: the people and places that have shaped us, the losses and friendships we carry, and the music we wanted to make together. The closing track gave the album its name and its final image of a ship sailing slowly into the night, moving towards the horizon without knowing exactly what lies ahead. “Where it takes us next, we don’t know. But this is where we are. For now.”

The album will be available for pre order from 18 September 2026, with the full release on 16 October 2026 across vinyl, CD and digital formats.