“Redevelop Our Souls” - Dryadic
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Dryadic’s latest single, “Redevelop Our Souls,” is a folk-rock anthem that doesn’t just ask to be heard — it demands to be lived in. The track has been simmering in their live sets for almost a decade, a communal firestarter and rallying cry that has finally made its way into the studio. The recorded version bottles that live-wire energy without sanding down its raw edges.
At its heart is that fiddle hook — sharp, restless, and impossible to shake — weaving around rolling drums and earthy guitars that conjure the spirit of protest marches and muddy fields. Fans of The Levellers or The Men They Couldn’t Hang will instantly feel at home here, but Dryadic carve their own path by layering their political urgency with deeply personal stakes. This isn’t nostalgia-drenched folk-rock; it’s folk-rock as a weapon, sharpened on the grindstone of housing injustice, homelessness, and the brutal churn of neoliberalism.
The story behind the song grounds it even further. Written in the thick of occupied housing estate protests in North London back in 2015, it’s not a track imagined from the outside looking in. It’s lived experience, channeled into melody. Singer Zora puts it best: “I was lucky enough to be housed in a time of great need. That security changed my life. When I moved onto a boat, I handed the house back to the council so someone else in crisis could benefit too. That’s what community looks like.” That sentiment — radical generosity and solidarity in action — beats at the core of “Redevelop Our Souls.”
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
The song builds like a movement swelling in numbers. What starts with a rallying chant grows into a full-on shout, a mass of voices rising in unison. By the time the chorus hits its peak, you can practically see the arms around shoulders, the pint glasses lifted, the muddy boots stomping along. It’s both a singalong anthem and a pointed critique, reminding us that art can be fun and furious at the same time.
Dryadic’s live reputation has always been about that combination of fire and community, and this recording cements it. Their performance at this summer’s Tolpuddle Festival, where the track appeared on the first-ever Tolpuddle Artists Compilation CD alongside Billy Bragg and Angeline Morrison, felt like a passing of the torch — proof that their music belongs in the lineage of protest folk that both entertains and agitates. The fact that proceeds from the CD went to Al Tafawk Children’s Centre in Gaza only reinforces that this isn’t just theatre; it’s activism set to a beat.
“Redevelop Our Souls” is Dryadic at their absolute best: grounded, raucous, and unashamedly political. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to stomp your feet, throw your voice into the chorus, and remember that solidarity is stronger when sung together. Folk-rock, after all, is music for the people — and Dryadic are making sure it stays that way.
“Redevelop Our Souls” is available now on all major streaming platforms
