M(h)aol – Gender Studies / EP Review

Up for some intense bass-driven post-punk? We’ve got a proper noise of feminist punk for you! Dublin five-piece M(h)aol release their debut EP Gender Studies.

The title doesn’t leave you wondering what this album is about, and it couldn’t be more topical.

M(h)aol, pronounced ‘male’ and translating to English ‘bald’, are the finest Irish feminist post-punk transforming ferocious sound into a political message. Since the band is majority female, choosing a name that is pronounced like ‘male’ comes with an attitude and is a response to how female musicians are seen and treated within the industry.

M(h)aol play it the punk way, namely the music they themselves want to hear. They spread a politically conscious message. And they have an attitude. Not only their name is a statement, but they are also pushing forward in the fight for social justice, animal welfare, and feminism.

Their message should be heard!

The debut EP Gender Studies was recorded in only 3 days, since the band is located in different locations. It covers tough, but urgent topics such as violence against women, misogyny within the music industry, and how to navigate through life when you’re not a suited, white man.

All the songs on the EP are relatively short, most of them under 3 minutes. But they come with a bang.

The lead single ‘Gender Studies’ is a cracker. It’s a crashing sound that comes with fab, disturbing riffs of smashing guitars, a huge bass, and great drums. The message is a shake-up – urgent, and straight to the point. In a spoken-word style, the lyrics deliver how pointless gender constructs and the forcing of gender binaries are. It’s a topical message.

The single is accompanied by a great video in a film noir style where the constraints of gender roles and social expectations are portrayed powerfully.

The opening track is a teaser for the other tracks of the album. This isn’t a quiet ride. Instead, it’s a fierce bass-driven race.

There is this insane pounding dark bass in ‘Desperation’ that leads through the entire track. It hits us with distorted sound and destroying energy, strong drums, and great vocals.

‘Kinder Bueno’ is short and sweet and definitely not about chocolate. It’s 52 seconds of again, dark pounding bass, blended with crashing guitars and ferocious drums.

A slow mysterious start comes with ‘Laundries’. But don’t worry, the song paces up while it progresses, and gets faster. The vocals are calm first and then go wild, which leads to a disturbing sound where the distorted bass drives the song and takes the lead. It’s a powerful track full of dark energy and raw dissonance.

“No one ever talks to us / unless they wanna fuck” is the bitter truth of ‚No one ever talks to us’, the second release from the album. It emphasises how often women are only considered interesting if they seem attractive to the male’s eye. It’s a track that builds upon noise and distortion in the middle and to the end and again offers that great disturbing, crashing guitar sound.

After all the wildness and high volume, the EP comes to a rather quiet end with the very atmospheric cover of ‘Óró sé do bheatha bhaile’ (English: Oh, welcome home). This is an old Irish folk song about Gráinne Mhaol, a pirate queen from the sixteenth century. Well-known in Irish folklore and another inspiration for the band’s name. The perfect ending for the EP.

M(h)aol create the soundtrack for a revolution we desperately need. They transform their notes into political messages. They are authentic, radical, and resist social norms and expectations. Their music is a call on all women out there to stand up and scream along.

The EP is released digitally on October 29th. A vinyl release will follow on January 12th. It is released via the record label TULLE that supports underrepresented voices within the music industry – another great statement by the band!

M(h)aol will also be touring in November, with gigs in Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, and London.