The Kates: "We've seen women pick up the guitar because they see us on stage rocking out, doing our thing"

The Kates are going out on a high. The West Cork five-piece have announced their debut album, Between Takes, will be released in October, but alongside the good news came a surprise: it will be their final record together.

"Yup, that's the end of The Kates," says bassist and vocalist Paula O'Brien. "We've been together since 2018, and we've played a lot of gigs together. Our main aim was to record an album and shine a light on women as musicians. We feel we've done as much as we can."

It isn't a devastating conclusion for O'Brien. Recording the album was a "massive achievement", but ultimately life got in the way.

"It's very hard to keep pushing in the music industry," she notes. "I'm a woman in my forties; I have a mortgage, children, people depending on me. Music is complex, but at the same time, it's one of the best things I've ever done in my life."

Rather than seeing the end of The Kates as defeat, O'Brien sees it as a chance to celebrate what they achieved. "By drawing a line under it," she says, "saying that our album is the last thing we'll do together - besides a handful of gigs before the end of the year - I think it's celebration as opposed to something sad."

That sense of lived experience runs through Between Takes. Its tracks reflect on the realities of pursuing music alongside work, motherhood and everyday life, those stolen moments in which five musicians in their twenties, thirties and forties found time to follow their passion and create greater visibility for women.

"We shared a lot in those moments, O'Brien reflects. "We're different age groups, which made the whole process really enjoyable in terms of learning from each other, and going through everything from marriages to terrible losses. 'Only Us' represents us well as a band; it's a really collaborative song."

Written by Míde Houlihan, the track begins with questions about why people became so unwilling to share space and empathy, before arriving at the idea that kindness is a choice we have to keep making.

"All five members are songwriters, each bringing their own means of expression to the band. Eventually, that creative process became less of a challenge and more a form of trust. It became kind of a sisterhood: maybe that sounds clichéd, but we could be honest with each other and express ourselves without feeling judged," says Paula. "While it was challenging writing with five people, it quickly became very normal. It's probably the easiest it's ever been now, and yet we're finishing!"

That sisterhood is maybe what O'Brien will miss most. "Playing music with people is like another language, another way of communicating," she suggests. "The five of us have been playing for so long now, we don't even have to speak. It's in how you're playing, and what you see when you're looking at each other."

The Kates have also been vocal about the importance of women being visible in music. Asked whether they have accomplished what they set out to do, O'Brien laughs, "I think we have, and I hope that doesn't sound egotistical!"

For O'Brien, the evidence is local. "Small changes cause ripple effects," she observes. "In a small place like Clonakilty or West Cork, we've heard the feedback, and we've seen women pick up the guitar because they see us on stage rocking out, doing our thing. It doesn't have to be perfect; it's just about expressing ourselves."

There is, however, one part of being in a band she won't be mourning. "The admin side of music is absolutely insane, and the social media - bullshit. Music is about performance, connection and authenticity; it isn't about fucking TikToks and Instagram stories that musicians have to do now to reach people. So I won't miss that side of it at all."

After eight years, The Kates are leaving behind a record, a sisterhood and a final handful of gigs. For them, that's enough.

• Between Takes is out now.