The Malefactors:

Fronted by the force of nature that is Lucille O’Mahony, the Dublin indie merchants first made it on to the Hot Press radar in 2022 with ‘Topless’, a scalpel-like dissection of an abusive relationship. Sexual politics are also to the fore on ‘Missing Molly’ and ‘Cure’, the two songs they released before Christmas which have contributed to The Malefactors’ 500,000-plus Spotify plays.

Hear: ‘Missing Molly’, which sounds like the missing link between Sinéad O’Connor and The Cranberries.

Watch: Their cover of Fontaines D.C.’s ‘I Love You’, which manages to be even spikier than the original.

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