M(h)aol – “Scam Manifesto”

Irish post-punkers M(h)aol signed to Merge and released their album Something Soft last year. Since then, they've lost a member and become a trio, and now they've shared the jittery, deadpan new one-off single "Scam Manifesto." (Anyone who saw I Shot Andy Warhol will be able to appreciate the wordplay of that title.) It's about the way you can feel about yourself after too much time on the internet: "I said that I’m worth more, but I’m a liar/ I see my limbs and all I want to do is set my house on fire." Former member Sarah Deegan, now of Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra, joins in on backup vocals. Here's what singer/drummer Constance Keane says about the track:"Scam Manifesto" is a song I wrote during one of my semi-regular social media breaks. My entire feed was "how to lose the last 5 lbs" and obituaries for people I didn’t know. It’s about the guilt I feel about my own hypocrisy. Publicly, I say that as a woman it’s my right to be as ugly and old as I want and still value myself, while privately I was consistently fixating on a list of things I would change about my appearance. It’s about having one rule for others and another one for yourself.Keane co-directed the "Scam Manfesto" video with Col Lee, Ginny Davies, and Jill Wheeler, and it's got a nicely surreal edge. The clip is a night out with a grotesque caricature, presumably a literalized version of a self-image. There's a making-of bit at the end. Check it out below.The "Scam Manifesto" single is out now on Merge/Tulle.