Courting Strong [CD]

Providing energetic, impassioned pop punk, Martha are informed by 90s indie rock and Scandinavian anarcho noir. The album, pro-duced by MJ from Hookworms, is laden with harmonies and inter-changeable vocals whilst still retaining the energy and excitement of the band’s live shows. Formed in 2011 Martha have fast become a staple of the UK DIY pop scene. It’s a semi-autobiographical story about growing up in a small town, with a sense of not fitting in but on the way finding people who share that feeling. It’s an album for the people who stayed in their hometown, and for the people who still go back and visit. Martha’s melodic punk pop celebrates being an outsider whilst being part of a community. The album touches on uncertainty, fear and loneliness whilst exuding an effervescent sense of excitement and joy. There’s darkness beneath the pop surface - but there are also songs about teenage antics, drinking, courting and having your heart broken. “Martha have mastered that neat Buzzcocks trick of riding those gloriously glowing guitars with sweet, comfortingly-fey voices singing in irresistible harmony. In short, they’re pretty darn great” Clash Magazine.