- Culture
- 18 Mar 21
The Irish post-punk band explore the victim-blaming narratives which surround gender-based violence on the single.
Powerful five-piece band M(h)aol have returned with brand new single 'Asking For It', with all proceeds going towards non-for-profit Women's Aid.
The build-up of shredded guitars and swirling, shrieking vocals create a blast of up-tempo noise that won't be easily forgotten. With a sound reminiscent of feminist protests, 'Asking For It' features gut-punch lyrics targeting those who question the victim's motives rather than the perpetrator's actions.
You say it's changed your life/ Well it's changed mine too/ Like feeling safe at night and not being in the news/ I was asking for it/ Was I asking for it?/ How much did you drink?/ And what did you do?/ Did you feel afraid when it was him and you/ Why you asking for it?/ Was I asking for it?
Originally planned for release in May, M(h)aol have decided now is the time to act, as people who experience misogyny everywhere share collective anger at the reality of gender-based violence.
Following up 2020’s equally poignant track 'Laundries', 'Asking For It' grapples with the topic of victim blaming and sexual violence, directing the experience of not only external questioning of our behaviour by society, but the internal questioning that pressure leads to.
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Currently based in Dublin, London, and Bristol; Róisín Nic Ghearailt, Constance Keane, Jamie Hyland, Zoe Greenway, and Sean Nolan are gearing up for a busy 2021.
Emerging in 2015 with their debut single 'Clementine', M(h)aol's penchant for capturing the right note and zeitgeist subject matter have rendered them as a break-out act in the alternative Irish music scene.