M(h)aol

Based in Dublin, Belfast, and London, Irish intersectional feminist firebrands M(h)aol — Constance Keane (She/Her), Jamie Hyland (She/Her), and Sean Nolan (He/Him) — are excited to announce their new album Something Soft out May 16 on Merge Records.

M(h)aol have built a reputation for thrilling live performances, fostering an atmosphere that encourages community and catharsis regardless of where they play. After their captivating set at SXSW in 2023, the band signed with Merge Records and released the North American reissue of their debut full-length album Attachment Styles that fall. The band followed the album with singles “Pursuit,” and, “Snare,”  the latter being a fierce anthem that boldly defies gender expectations with biting wit..

Attachment Styles received 4* reviews from The Guardian, Louder, as well as support from NME, NPR, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, BBC 6 Music, Consequence, Matt Wilkinson, The Line Of Best Fit, Rough Trade, CRACK, Hot Press, Loud & Quiet, DORK, DIY,  Alternative Press and more. Their line-up soon changed, settling on the core trio which changed the band’s approach to songwriting and performing, resulting in an unexpected breakthrough where many groups have folded

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From the first note of Something Soft's opening track to the distorted cries of its last, the record feels antagonistic to the very concept of softness, sonically and thematically. It’s an unapologetic approach to intersectional feminism, animal welfare, consumerism, and the struggle to find a place in a world lacking in empathy.

Something Soft features a more urgent sound wound tightly around Hyland and Keane’s rhythm. On the already released singles "Pursuit" and "Snare," Keane’s vocals lock in on her drums, as if her words were stirred to life by her playing, issued directly from her body. Set against those respectively anxious and swaggering tracks, her voice occupies the space of an inner monologue narrating a tense walk home, and green room misogyny from a place of droll observance.



Like its predecessors Attachment Styles and the Gender Studies EP, Something Soft was recorded by Jamie Hyland (who has also worked with Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls’ acclaimed debut, The Psychotic Monks). It is the most technically nimble of M(h)aol’s recordings to date, with the band - joined by Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra’s Sarah Deegan on bass - decamping to Dublin’s Ailfionn Studio where they took advantage of the space and studio equipment to bring more nuance to their sound.

The polish serves to highlight M(h)aol’s roguish charms, making the intimate feel anthemic, using personal experience to detail the broader systems we live under. For those who’ve come to recognise themselves in their songs, listening to Something Soft is like jumping into a long-running chat thread, full of fury and humor.

M(h)aol applies a DIY ethos to all aspects of the band. Attachment Styles and Gender Studies were originally released on TULLE, an independent women-led record label focussed on working with and for underrepresented voices in music co-founded by Constance Keane.  

M(h)aol U.S. Tour Dates
March 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye 
March 10 - 14 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records
March 17 - Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project