The birth of 'DM:AM' happened in twenty minutes flat — three musicians, one dimly lit Dublin studio, months of separation dissolving into post-punk alchemy. It's the rare sort of creative combustion that would feel like a fluke if M(h)aol hadn't made a habit of such moments.

Jamie Hyland busied themselves with equipment setup, Constance Keane and Sean Nolan lingering nearby, none quite grasping the electricity about to crackle through the room. For a band scattered across five cities, these physical convergences carry their own gravity.

The track confronts the darker corners of digital interaction, addressing what the band describe as "men DM'ing women online and then getting aggressive when they don't get the response they want. They quickly turn to insults about the women, and then once the woman says she'll expose what they've done, she gets a laundry list of reasons why he behaves like this and how much he has to lose, which is meant to make the women feel sorry for them."

The genesis story arrives via drummer Constance Keane: "We were in the recording studio, and Jamie was doing all the work (as usual) setting up the recording equipment for the day, and Sean and I were sitting around doing nothing (as usual)." That self-deprecating observation masks the intensity that followed.

With members spread between Ireland and London, M(h)aol's geography shapes their art. Each gathering becomes concentrated creation — pressure-cooked inspiration born of necessity.

The spark came from guitarist Sean Nolan: "Connie had been suggesting for years that we do a song where we tune the guitar and basses up and down while playing. 'DM:AM' didn't quite end up being that, but I think that old idea was the impetus for what I was messing around with anyway."

Their latest album 'Something Soft' emerged from this fractured timeline. "We started writing this record in 2023," Keane notes, "but as we all live in different places, our writing goes in bouts of intense two or three-day patches, sometimes months apart. I think it adds to the immediacy of what we're working on sometimes."

Jamie Hyland breaks down the mathematics of their method: "I think we figured it to be seven to nine days of writing followed by about five days of recording. In a very real sense, the starting point was that we had shows supporting squid at the end of 2023, and we wanted to play new material at them."

Distance becomes discipline, separation breeds intensity, and M(h)aol transmute their constraints into creative fuel. Reworking a band's dynamic after a lineup shift can be tricky business, but M(h)aol's transition to a trio hasn't disrupted their collaborative spirit. "In a lot of ways, the way we work hasn't changed. We still make decisions as a group as to what shows we want to play and where, how the music should sound and feel and what it should be about," explains Hyland. "The biggest difference in that regard is there are fewer voices when it comes to making those decisions."

The progression from 'Attachment Styles' to 'Something Soft' marks a band growing into their collective skin. For Keane, the first album crystallised something essential: "I think the main lesson we learned from the first album is how much we love making music together. Once we get into a room together, things click in a way they haven't for me with other projects; it's really special."

Nolan notes a newfound directness in their creative process: "I think we're all a little more direct in terms of talking about whether something is working or not." This enhanced creative dialogue manifests throughout 'Something Soft', an album that manages to sharpen both their technical prowess and raw immediacy.

The band's thematic compass remains steady, even as their artistic expression evolves. "As we grow as people and as the world changes, different specific things come to mind as something to talk about, but at the core of it is still the experience of being a woman (and sometimes just a person) in the modern world," Hyland reflects.

Their political engagement stems from pragmatism rather than posturing. Hyland articulates this grounded approach: "While we still live under capitalism, I believe very strongly in trying to do our best to function inside it in such a way as to shape the world into one that is more palatable until it all comes crumbling down and we can actually start some kind of idyllic socialist/communist, Star Trek-style utopia. Everyday choices to not support mass consumerism, massive corporations, and exploitative labour practices is enough for my puny brain to be getting on with."

The swift creation of 'DM:AM' reflects their broader creative process. "In some ways, the whole rest of the record is not too far off the same timeframe of writing; 'DM:AM' just happened to be all in the studio on a recording day instead of during a separate writing session," Hyland notes.

Asked about their proudest achievement on the record, their answers cut straight to the heart. "The fact that we made it," Keane states simply. Hyland concurs: "The fact we pulled the whole thing off is pretty cool. The fact we all like the music doesn't hurt matters either."

Between recording sessions, the band maintain their creative momentum through other pursuits. Today finds them scattered but productive — Keane rewatching Notting Hill "for the millionth time," Hyland setting up to record "some slow burn cinematic chords for the craic," and Nolan stealing moments during his lunch break. These glimpses of their off-duty lives add texture to understanding how they maintain their artistic relationships across distance.

The future looks promising for M(h)aol, though their ambitions remain grounded in the work itself. "Honestly, if it gets us to a place to make another one, that's more than I could hope for," Hyland muses. "We are already coming up with new ideas in rehearsals, so internally, that's a good start." Indeed, as Keane confirms, "We're already writing the next album."

In parting, Hyland offers wisdom that could serve as both a mission statement for the band and a broader call to action: "In general, keep an eye out for each other and keep an eye on each other, stay compassionate for yourself and for others."

This sentiment perfectly encapsulates what makes M(h)aol such a vital force in contemporary music — their ability to balance righteous anger with genuine care. 'Something Soft' might be their latest testament to these qualities, but it certainly won't be their last.