Start Listening To: M(h)aol

Get your notepads out, it’s time for gender studies.

Named after an Irish pirate queen, M(h)aol were born six years ago of out the need to challenge the male-dominated landscape of post-punk and establish some organised chaos in the went-wrong music industry. It's a long-due addition to the catalogue of the alternative sounding intersectional feminist bands. M(h)aol are voicing their, and many more marginalised communities’, issues loud and clear. On their debut EP ‘Gender Studies', the band deconstructs gender thoroughly and with a bang. In fast-racing and attention-grabbing tracks, they dissect how the notion of gender shapes us, from a social to a romantic point of view. M(h)aol are not scared of finger-pointing and pushing hard for the change. We’re here to lend a helping hand.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

RNG- We are M(h)aol an intersectional feminist post-punk band based out of Dublin, Cork, Bristol and London. Four of us are from Dublin originally and Zoe is from Cork. We make feminist post-punk, though recently it has been described as industrial punk.

How did it all start?

RNG- This is an amazing story and I’ll let Connie tell it because she was the catalyst behind the whole band.

CK: Essentially, I shaved Róisín’s head and told her she had to be the singer in my punk band that didn’t exist yet. And then I found Sean in a record shop.

If you were to describe your sound to someone who’d never heard you before, what would you say?

RNG- Ah jaysus, that’s a very difficult question. I would say that it sounds like political, ordered chaos.

How are you feeling about the release of your debut EP Gender Studies? We love the production on the EP. Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?

RNG- I’m feeling very nervous and excited about it which I think is the right attitude!

CK: Jamie, one of our bassists, is an incredible engineer and producer, and she recoded and produced the whole thing. We wrote and recorded it in three days in May. Because we live all over the place, our time together is always super concentrated, and to be honest we had no idea what would come out of those sessions but we’re really happy with it.

Can you tell us about some of themes on your EP?

RNG- in terms of the vocals I went for a slightly different style this time. On no-one ever talks to us I wanted them to sound bored as the notion of being valued only for your perceived attractiveness to men in music is so overdone yet still so relevant. I wanted the listener to understand that the conversation absolutely has to move on and that the culture needs to change. The overall themes of the EP are gender deconstruction and how gender shapes how we move through physical, social, romantic and sexual spheres. This ranges from an ode to a pirate queen to addressing rape culture and victim-blaming to feeling shut out in musical spaces.

Where did you get your band name?

CK: Gráinne Mhaol is an Irish pirate queen that we would have grown up hearing about, and I liked the idea that if you try read her surname as someone who doesn’t speak Irish you could easily end up with something that sounds like “male”.

Can you tell us something interesting about the band that has nothing to do with music?

RNG- Myself and Zoe (one of the bassists) met while doing a degree in Culinary Arts and myself and Connie (the drummer) met while I was working as a chef and she was working front of house. So you could say that food brought us together.

What inspires your music?

RNG- I only write the lyrics and don’t do the music side of things at all, lyrically I get my inspiration from many many different sources. One song was inspired by Megan Nolan’s book “Acts of Desperation”. I’m working on a new song that includes a quote from Carrie Bradshaw.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your band?

S- you'll need one chord, two bassists and a good drummer

If your music were a film or TV show which would it be?

CK: Freaky Friday (Lindsay Lohan version).

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?

CK: Meteora by Linkin Park. Obviously.

What do you hate right now?

RNG- Honestly I hate the amount of inconsistent messaging vis a vis Covid in England. And that masks aren’t mandatory.

What do you love right now?

RNG- Sex Education Season 3 and also every single thing Lil Nas X is doing. Also the book ‘In the Dream House’ by Carmen Maria Machado.

Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?

RNG- I am absolutely loving Indigo De Souza, Lil Nas X, Elder Island and Doja Cats latest album was a banger too.

What comes next in the M(h)aol story?

RNG- We are releasing our debut EP on the 29th of October followed by a small tour across the UK and then playing a date in Ireland. Then our physical EP comes out in January so there’ll be more shows then so keep your eyes peeled.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

RNG- I’d highly recommend being in a feminist/political band. It can be intimidating sometimes talking about these themes but don’t be!!