Monday’s Child make a haunting statement with their debut EP

by George Roberts

Emerging from Ireland’s vibrant alternative scene, Monday’s Child debut their statement four-track EP in front of a packed Ulster Sports Bar.

The band’s breakthrough release fuses grunge grit, lyrical vulnerability, and explosive sonic landscapes. Every track is raw, emotive, and urgent – each a different colour on a canvas, culminating in a harrowing picture.

Monday’s Child began their highly anticipated set with Problem Girl to resounding cheers.

Jen McKay’s compelling lyrics echoed back to the stage as the crowd sang along to the opening track.

The band generated a monumental atmosphere inside, creating delirium within the crowd.

Their performance was passionate and volatile.

“Problem Girl”

The EP opens with Problem Girl, a track that wastes no time establishing the band’s intensity.

Twin guitars bounce the driving riff back and forth, creating an immediately anxious tension.

Over this foundation, Jen McKay’s haunting vocals cut through like a siren on the wind.

Moody power chords accompany the deep introspective lyrics, crafting a song that feels both deeply personal and apocalyptic.

As the track builds, an overdriven guitar solo slices in, unrelenting and sharp. The final moments retreat back into McKay’s spectral voice, leaving a lingering sense of unease — an eerily perfect introduction.

“Love, You’ll Figure It Out”

Despite its seemingly optimistic title, Love, You’ll Figure It Out is anything but.

The track opens with desolate acoustic chords, establishing a sombre, dystopian tone that never releases the listener.

McKay’s lyrics, steeped in sorrow, explore themes of identity, isolation and desperation. Love, You’ll Figure It Out examines the eroding  soul of oneself, caged by the pressures of everyday life.

McKay’s lyrics detail a young woman who fails to recognise herself in the mirror – a husk stripped of colour now taking her place.

This haunting exploration of emotional decay is accentuated by moody guitar leads that crawl through the track like shadows on the wall.

As the guitars swell and burst into anguished distortion, McKay’s voice becomes a cry for liberation. Love, You’ll Figure It Out is an unnervingly real cathartic release.

Jen and Lauren McKay acknowledge the dystopian feelings of Love, You’ll Figure It Out.

“Jen came up with the verse riff, and I liked it because it was really dark and grungey,” says Lauren.

“The chorus is kind of just the verse in reverse, which makes you feel a bit whoozy and like you’re being pulled the other way around.”

Jen says: “I was playing the verse riff over and over again and the first words I came up with were I’ve never felt so hollow, like every part of me has been swallowed.

“The first chord creates a kind of sinking feeling and the lyrics just kind of mould with that.”

“In My Own Time”

Track three, In My Own Time, shifts the momentum with a rhythmic bassline that hooks the listener and pulls them into the band’s first experimental release.

The pre-chorus has an almost dream-like quality to it, where ethereal harmonies and elegant chords offer a brief escape from the otherwise grounded, grunge-heavy tone of the EP.

Caitlin Lenfestey’s drumming explodes in the chorus, injecting the track with a powerful energy.

 The second pre-chorus returns the audience to this magical world, elevating the track once more before plummeting back down to earth.

In My Own Time is the EP’s most innovative inclusion, showcasing the band’s range and ambition.

Modern Affair illustrates a group unafraid to push boundaries while remaining emotionally grounded, solidifying Monday’s Child as one of Ireland’s most promising talents.

Jen and Lauren offer some insight into their songwriting blueprints.

When asked about the potential impact of a composition that includes a softer verse before building into a powerful chorus, Jen says: “Trying to blend strong female vocals into rock music can be quite hard.

“I think playing a softer verse and then a more powerful chorus lends itself to our style and the dynamic of songs.”

Lauren adds: “Particularly with In My Own Time, we didn’t really have that middle section with the softer guitars, but I thought the song needed a break.

“It needed something to just lull you back before the chorus.”

“Modern Affair”

Closing the EP is its title track, Modern Affair, a high-octane burst of angst and energy. An overdriven, crunching riff sets the stage, propelled forward by Lenfestey’s metronomic drumming. There’s no subtlety here — this is pure grunge aggression.

The influence of ‘90s alt-rock icons Hole is impossible to miss.

Modern Affair emulates the rawness of Celebrity Skin, with unapologetic and attitude focused lyrics, distorted guitars and punching rhythm.

It’s a track that reinforces the band’s ethos: gritty, authentic, and unrelenting.