M(h)aol - Something Soft

Within moments of this second full-length outing from the Dublin-Belfast-London based punk outfit it becomes clear that the record is very much antithetical to its namesake. An 11-track whirling racket of off-kilter post-punk, the trio’s tirade of viscerality from debut ‘Attachment Styles’ remains, yet reveals a more urgent, pulse-shooting, clobbering cacophony.  Opener ‘Pursuit’ builds with an anxiety-inducing perpetuation; the wreathing of “I thought the shoes I’m wearing would help me run away from you” feels akin to a blazing Catherine Wheel, incessantly intensifying, all before launching into an impassioned scream. It makes for a blistering aural assault. ‘DM:AM’ sounds like a shaken-up hornet’s nest, while ‘E8 - N16’ finds a cross-section between Star Wars and early black midi. Closer ‘In Coda’, meanwhile, meanders towards gloomy goth. From the glitchy, distortion-fuelled ‘I Miss My Dog’ to the hypnotic noise of ‘You Are Temporary, The Internet Is Forever’, ‘Something Soft’ refuses to let up from its scorching ferocity, showcasing M(h)aol as an out-and-out force.