More about: M(h)aol

M(h)aol had a fairly conventional start as a band, despite the complex spelling of their name. Forming in Dublin all the way back in 2015, they put out a single and performed in small venues around the city.

But it took a lengthy hiatus and band members spreading out from Dublin all across the map for Róisín, Constance, Jamie, Zoe and Sean to reach their full, unbridled potential as the M(h)aol we know today. We sat down with drummer and founding member Constance Keane (who chats to us from London) to talk about Attachment Styles, their long-awaited debut album.

But before we get to that, we need to talk about that name. If you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “Male”, not “Ma Hole” as many listeners mistakenly believe. The bracketed band name has several layers of meaning behind it, Constance explains to Gigwise:

“I thought it would be funny to name the band something that sounded like Male but spell it M(h)aol, which is Gráinne Mhaol, the pirate queen from Ireland”. Add in the fact that “maol” is the Irish word for bald and Constance had just shaved Róisín’s head, there’s really no other name that the band could have adopted. She adds: “I started the band because I was really frustrated with how I was being treated as a woman who plays the drums. And I started the band pretty much purely to make men in the Irish music scene feel uncomfortable. I wanted a gender-based name around that.”

When I saw M(h)aol live, it was the middle of the night at Primavera Sound. Despite the festival having an international audience on the whole, I noticed that most of the crowd that had gathered by the stage that night was Irish. It was no surprise – we tend to gather every time a band from our part of the world is in town. M(h)aol’s recent European tour with Gilla Band was no exception to the trend.

“I think there’s something in Irish culture that means when an Irish band is playing, and if you are an Irish person living abroad, you are automatically more likely to go. I think when you live abroad as an Irish person you have a sense of longing for a community. And music is such an intrinsic part of Irish culture that I think that it’s a very easy way to connect with other Irish people”

Then, their first European tour very nearly came to a halt when it became clear that lead singer Róisín wouldn’t be able to join them for the whole tour. But unconventional as ever, they decided that subverting traditional band dynamics and powering through would be a whole lot more fun than going home. “I think for us, taking on a new task of doing the vocals for a week, we kind of just saw it as an opportunity to have some fun,” Constance recalls. “And it was a challenge. Playing the drums and singing is quite hard! But it was something that I wanted to try and do anyway, regardless of it being difficult.”

M(h)aol’s new album Attachment Styles is named after the psychological theory on how we behave in relationships. Curious, I took the quiz and was a bit taken aback to be hit with the Fearful-Avoidant label, but Constance explained that it’s not the end of the world: “The thing about attachment styles that I love is that [they] can change over time. I see so much hope, and opportunity, and possibility in the whole theory of attachment styles.” Alongside their usual heavy topics, the love and joy of queer relationships are an intrinsic part of the new record.

“Attachment Styles goes further in both directions of the fun, with songs like ‘Period Sex’. But then it also goes further in the direction of serious topics like ‘Asking For It’. It follows a narrative where the record starts out quite intense and quite heavy and it takes you through this journey of finding joy, in a way. And ends on quite a fun note.”

The new album explores love in many forms. One 40-second gem even explores the love of our four-legged friends in ‘Kim Is A Punk Type Dog’, a noise-rock ode to Constance’s late Jack Russell Terrier.

“Kim was this little Jack Russell, and she was almost 18 when she died. And she had so many health issues but just kept going. And to be honest, she didn’t give a shit. She had a serious attitude problem like I think a lot of Jack Russells do” says Constance, animated when the song comes up in our conversation. “Kim was just such an important part of my family and my upbringing that it felt really important to put her down in history as a badass”. If you’ve ever met a formidable Jack Russell, you’ll know exactly what she’s talking about.

‘No One Ever Talks To Us’ appears on both the Gender Studies EP and Attachment Styles. This is, Constance tells us, simply because the isolation of being a woman in the music industry hasn’t been sorted out yet. “That’s something that we feel was not at all resolved on the Gender Studies EP. So, I think we just wanted to continue the conversation and make sure it was still a talking point for the album.”

The key to making such heavy, raw music is to find a safe space to do it, and M(h)aol has just the person for the job with Jamie Hyland (of Gilla Band’s Holding Hands With Jamie fame) pulling a double shift as bassist and producer.

“What Jamie is amazing at is creating a space as a producer where everybody feels very comfortable trying things. But Jamie as a producer, she’s just incredibly good at making you forget you’re even recording. It ends up with this sense of freedom and fun, or this sense of safety when you’re recording these very heavy songs.”

This setup is key for M(h)aol, and everyone has multiple roles to play in the operation. “I think a lot of the time bands view certain instruments as less important or maybe more replaceable,” she muses. “But because we all double up on jobs, everyone is as important as each other”. Constance runs the label and manages the band, Jamie records, produces and masters their music, and Zoe leads the band’s creative direction as well as playing bass.

"We’re trying to make something that we would have wanted as teenagers..."

This “holistic approach”, as Constance calls it, is key to their live performances, too. Performing songs like ‘Asking For It’ and ‘Laundries’ night after night takes an emotional toll, so caring for one another and stopping for downtime have become pillars of a M(h)aol tour. But Constance maintains that this hard work is a worthwhile experience.

“What we’re doing relies so much on occupying physical space because we’re trying to make something that we would have wanted as teenagers or that we would have benefitted from as teenagers and that requires occupying physical space and having those conversations.”

Not content with just being the next big thing in post-punk, M(h)aol are also dominating in the merch game. You may have already seen their genius “Ghost A Post Punk Boy Today” tote bags in the hands of Phoebe Bridgers or slung over my shoulder any time I leave the house. For Constance, who works on various musical projects and runs a label, this is the crowning glory of her achievements. “That was my best marketing idea I’ve ever had in my entire life.  That goddamn bag is the best creative decision I’ve ever made. The girls that get it, get it, and the girls that don’t, don’t”. There’s an implication that more Genius Merch is on the way as we approach Attachment Styles, but the band keeping it under wraps for now.

The mantra embraces the post-punk label bestowed upon any Irish person holding a guitar, but it also pokes fun at the indie boys that need to be taken down a peg. Constance tells us: “I was seeing all these lad bands that were getting called post-punk and I saw how offended they were getting at getting called post-punk and I just thought: ‘How easy must your life be to be that angry about the genre that people are calling your band that’s getting loads of coverage?”

“It’s two words, get over yourself!” she laughs.

Post-punk, maybe, but M(h)aol are a breath of fresh air in a scene dominated by gloomy poet types who take themselves too seriously. On Attachment Styles, M(h)aol rage further against music industry conventions and carve out their own space in the scene. It might not always be an easy, chilled-out listen, but it’s perhaps one of the most important albums of the year.

Attachment Styles arrives 3rd Feb

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: M(h)aol