Something Soft

Description

Something Soft, the second album from Irish post-punk outfit M(h)aol, is anything but. From the first note of its propulsive opening track to the distorted screams of its closer, Something Soft bucks the very concept of softness, both sonically and thematically, taking a no-holds-barred approach to intersectional feminism, animal welfare, consumerism, and the struggle to find a place in an empathy-bereft world. The album carries over the melodic angularities and euphoric bursts of noise from 2023’s Attachment Styles, while exploring new depths of melody and experimentation. What M(h)aol provide is catharsis, in two forms: the kind you get from opening up to others, and the kind you get from virtuously kicking the shit out of things.