One track in particular, the intensely raw album opener ‘Asking For It’ (TW - sexual assault), allowed Róisín to process her thoughts and own experiences within the safe space M(h)aol had created. Just over two minutes of urgent, spiky post-punk, the track explodes into industrial noise as Róisín rages against victim blaming and the outrageous notion that anyone is ‘asking for it.’

“I felt really strongly about opening the album with ‘Asking For It’ because sexual assault is so often depicted as the end of someone’s life. ‘Attachment Styles’ is a story about healing. I really wanted to subvert cultural understandings of survivors. To depict not just healing but joy and formation of political identity and, ultimately, sexual euphoria.

Though this may all sound incredibly intense, be assured that there is a heavy dose of humour and compassion in M(h)aol’s debut that allows the band to show off their light-hearted side without taking away from the serious issues. Take the off-kilter slacker-pop of ‘Therapy’, for example, which sees Róisín playfully examine a toxic relationship, charismatically describing how she should make that person pay for her therapy, but she doesn’t want them to have the credit of having their name on the bill.

And when it comes to shaking up stigma while having fun, it would be remiss not to mention the sensual jangle of ‘Period Sex’, which sees Róisín purr, “Let’s have period sex; it’s time to make a mess”. You just know she’s delivering the line with a knowing wink, aware that she’s challenging a taboo subject in a song that people will either love or feel incredibly awkward about. “Our final single from the album is ‘Period Sex’, and I can’t wait to see the reactions,” laughs Róisín.

Though all five members of M(h)aol are Irish (Róisín, Connie, bassist Jamie Hyland and guitarist Sean Nolan are all from Dublin, while Zoë is from Kinsale, Co. Cork), they’re still currently split across different locations, which has made things somewhat tricky.

“Currently, the band lives in Kinsale, Dublin, Belfast, Bristol and London. Logistically it can be a nightmare, but we’ve been doing it for over a year, so we’ve got used to it. The biggest challenge is how expensive it is and the environmental impact. I won’t fly to Dublin anymore; I get the rail & sail. Whenever possible, Connie and I, who still live in the UK, will get the Eurostar for EU dates. When I joined the others on the European Gilla Band tour, I spent over 24 hours travelling from Bristol to Berlin!”

No matter where the band are based, there’s always one thing they can rely upon to remind them of their heritage, and that’s the band name itself, which comes from bad-ass Irish female pirate Grace O’Malley, or Gráinne Mhaol.

“Grace O’Malley is a really interesting anglicisation of Gráinne Mhaol,” explains Róisín. “Anglicisation stems from the occupation of Ireland by England. As a practice, I’m always surprised when it continues! Gráinne Mhaol is a feminist icon in Ireland; she was immortalised in the song ‘Ó ró sé do bheatha baile’. Connie came up with the name. She wanted something that referenced our lineage of revolution and feminism. By putting the h in brackets, it would be pronounced as male!” ■