Griffen once again takes lead on several tracks as well which gives Martha diversity and a standout identity. Cairns and Naomi Griffin takes a new level of comfort on this record as they really do support each other nicely throughout the entire album. Now, Martha are putting the pieces of that world back together and finding a way to navigate through all the new tripwires. On their 2019 album, Love Keeps Kicking, the band was railing against a world that was cracking. The pandemic has changed everyone and Martha is no different. This offers up a 36-minute foot-tapping experience that only gets better with more spins. Please Don’t Take Me Back has an early DIY sound with loud crashing guitars and drums while the group comes together for a multitude of memorable harmonies that cement the choruses in your head. Now on their fourth album, Durham, England’s Martha has perfected their indie pop punk formula as they have released one of their most engaging records to date. Whether they’re falling out of love over a pub quiz on ‘Orange Juice’ or spotting the devil in a partner’s eyes as it all falls apart, Martha do away with broad heartbreak platitudes and focus on painful specificities.Specialist Subject/Dirtnap Records The riffy ‘Into This’, all curly melodies, dips into familiar territory with ferocity: “ It’s almost painful how the Buckie’s brought out the red in your lips/ I’ll brush the hair out of your face but that’s as far as I can take this,” sings Naomi Griffin, faced with previously-disinterested drunk person who suddenly feels like kissing after downing a considerable number of of pints.
Vocals are shared out across the band, everyday storytelling is set to ridiculously foot-tapping pop-punk and there’s a real urgency to the record. ‘Love Keeps Kicking’ is Martha at their best. This year, their long-time collaborator, Hookworms’ MJ, who produced Martha’s first two albums, was accused of sexual assault and abuse. A year after the release of the band’s second record ‘ Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart’, the Durham punks pulled out of their planned support slot on Brand New’s tour following the sexual misconduct allegations made against Jesse Lacey,: “ Support survivors always,” they later wrote on Twitter.
This is the fire that fuels Martha’s third album, which opens with ‘Heart is Healing’: “ This year blew my world apart / I’ve been with a broken heart,” sings co-vocalist Daniel Ellis. Sticking together, looking after each other and holding love up in the face of increasingly visible bigotry feels particularly vital at the moment. Considering the hateful state of the world right now, ‘Love Keeps Kicking’ feels like a fitting mantra.
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