Music / MLY
All women-produced single explores feminine rage and revenge
Alt-pop artist MLY released her second single Madonna on Friday.
A feminist rant, the song expresses anger at the expectations put on women but ends on a hopeful note that less toxic relationships are possible.
Drawing inspiration from Daughter, Blondie and The Cranberries, with a sound adjacent to Dream Wife and The Big Moon, the track was created entirely by women – written and produced by MLY, mixed by elusive producer G and mastered by Emily Magpie.
is needed now More than ever
“Madonna is the soundtrack to your post-break up rage or your new favourite female revenge thriller,” says MLY, aka Molly Davies.
Now based in Bristol, MLY grew up in a rural area. Her mother was a member of an all-girl rock band, and she spent summers touring biker festivals across Europe in a decades-old campervan.
Intuitively drawn to the lighter intricacies of indie-pop – what she now calls “sad-girl campfire bangers” – she moved to Bristol and hosted underground DIY post-punk shows, championing local femme and non-binary artists including Grandmas House & Grove.
MLY taught herself music production during 2020, and her second single utilises live instruments and samples.
“Madonna is about feminine rage. It explores the Madonna-whore dichotomy that strips women of their multiplicity,” says MLY.
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“It’s only in the absence of this dichotomy that sensual and loving interpersonal relationships can be nurtured. The lyric ‘Head on the block, coming of age’ can be read as both a cry of revenge and a reference to the numerous women punished for existing outside of the expectations of men.
“It also considers how the revelations surrounding autonomy and sexuality under the patriarchy are a coming-of-age experience for women.”
MLY has performed at Rough Trade, Thekla, Harbourfest and Dot to Dot, supported Emily Isherwood, Grove and Grandmas House, and performed at various Sofar Sounds shows.
Follow her at instagram.com/hey.mly
Main image: Sian Jossi
Read next:
- Turn it up: Bristol’s eclectic music scene
- Review: Fat Dog, Rough Trade – ‘Supercharged electro-punk meets heady rave’
- From the farm to the fields: 20 years of raving
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