`Something Soft` is the second full-length album by Irish post-punk band M(h)aol who comprise of Constance Keane (drums, vocals), Jamie Hyland (bass, vocals) and Sean Nolan (guitar).
The album opens with `Pursuit` with its underlying sense of unease musically and lyrically. The vocals are almost whispered at first over a rhythmic pulsing drumbeat and fuzzy riff but become much more insistent almost frantic as the narrative relates to being tracked and chased because of your specific gender. We seem to have in `I Miss My Dog` a kind of fast paced eulogy to a beloved deceased pet of thirteen years.
`You Are Temporary, The Internet Is Forever` may be about not realising you`d passed away. An oddly charming proposal which maybe is a tinged reference to social media`s powerful hold. In social media and online communication DM typically stands for Direct Message and AM is before noon so the hypnotic `DM: AM` could well be about being contacted before midday.
`E8/N16` sounds like a nursery rhyme set to a skewed backing. The E8 in Ireland is a portion of the wider European long-distance walking path E8, specifically the 620 km (388 mile) section traversing the country from Dursey Island to Dublin while the N17 is a national primary road in Ireland, specifically part of the Atlantic Corridor route so make of that what you will. A stop start absorbing repetitive beat leads us through `Vin Diesel` which may refer to Mark Sinclair, known professionally as Vin Diesel, the American actor and film producer.
`Clementine` appears to be about a person rather than the citrus fruit and their oppressive predicament. It`s a brash, noisy almost antagonistic auditory offering with Dara Kiely from noise rockers Gilla band guesting. Constance Keane has said that ‘Snare’ is about countless conversations I’ve had since my first drum lesson on my ninth birthday about how bizarre it is that I play that instrument, or how I should be doing it differently.” “The idea of society gendering an inanimate object like a drum kit, when it’s something that brings me so much joy and release, has always frustrated me hugely, and I thought it was time to sing about it.” A quite tender but haunting composition that makes it point with a direct plaintive vocal delivery.
`IBS` may hint at suffering from the common gastrointestinal disorder Irritable Bowel Syndrome but it may also be a hint towards an abusive relationship. A quite trance like listen. I seem to recall a system for cheap calls and although the title `1-800-Call-Me-Back` might appear to reflect this it seems to possibly be a metaphor for a defunct relationship.
The concluding number `Coda` may signify the ultimate passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure and here it`s a quite alluring dystopian outing with spoken word and screamed sound segments over fuzzy distorted guitar riffs and a pulsing drum machine beat.
`Something Soft` is a fairly ambiguous title for album that is kind of an “Iron fist in a velvet glove”. I`m sure a lot of the lyrical subtleties were lost on me and that they`ll become clearer the more I return to listen.
An interesting offering lyrically and musically.
Rating 8/10
