If You Like The Raincoats, Wet Leg, Kathleen Hanna, Dry Cleaning, or Bush Tetras...
An "If You Like [X] Then You'll Like [Y]" quick hit for the Irish post-punk lover.
With so much critical sound and fury surrounding Irish bands over the last few years — Fontaines D.C., SPRINTS, The Murder Capital, NewDad, Lankum, Chalk, Gurriers (seriously, I’m sure you can name a dozen more) — there is one I’m surprised to see so rarely on the rosters.
If you like post-punk, noise rock, riot grrrl, or no wave, then you’ll like M(h)aol.
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Cheekily pronouncing their name “male1,” and named after Gráinne Mhaol, the legendary Irish pirate queen, M(h)aol released their 2023 debut Attachment Styles to a very modest critical reception. I, on the other hand, loved it.
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It’s (still! ridiculously!) quite easy to dismiss “feminist bands” as all tell no show. We love to slap a riot grrrl label on any music that deals with women’s issues in a suitably rancorous fashion and call it a day.
So while the band was very plainly influenced by the movement — you can hear echoes of Bikini Kill all over the rowdier moments of tracks like “Asking for It” or “Therapy” — calling them punk or riot grrrl does a disservice to the full richness of their sound.2
What M(h)aol does so well is play with negative space in their music. Part of why I would hesitate to associate them fully with genres like punk and riot grrrl is that they have a collage-like, found sound quality, weaving in silence and noise as their own instruments.
This year’s follow-up release, Something Soft, saw a lineup shakeup that left many worried, especially about the future of their live performances. I admit it’s the lead vocalist’s departure that’s most obviously felt, but when a group thrives in its sparest moments, stripping back five members to three may actually be a boon.
One of my favorite tracks of 2025 comes from this new iteration of M(h)aol:
This record leans harder into the no wave influences that — for me, at least — make them a more interesting listen. The riot grrrl message remains (“[m]ost of our songs are about feminism or dogs to be honest”), but their music now reminds me much more of The Slits, The Raincoats, or Delta 5 than Le Tigre.
Let me know what you think.
Is M(h)aol new to you?
Have you seen them live since they became a trio?
Do you prefer the old lineup or have you embraced change?
xo
Gabbie
P.S. New music recommendations (whether freshly released or just relatively recent) are always hand-picked and curated with love. If you like what you’re reading, a like or reshare goes a long way.
Listening party! Celestial Grunge from Stargazr
Listen to Stargazr’s new record while chatting with the bandleader Leeni Ramadan.
WHEN: Saturday October 18th at 3pm Eastern
WHERE: NBfOH Discord Server
HOW: Paid subs, you have the link. Everyone else, get your ticket below.
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I got a lot of grief for this by some Irish speakers last time I mentioned this, so I’ll just say that it’s the band itself that insist on this coy wordplay.
And yes, I realize that’s exactly what I did, too — but I’ve had time to reflect in the last two years!