Martha - Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart - Red Vinyl (/300)

Dirtnap (2016)

Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart is the second album from the UK's Martha.  I bought and enjoyed their first LP that had come out on Salinas records.  I kind of feel the same way about the new record as I did their previous one.  It's good.  It's not mind blowing or anything, but it is a solid poppy punk record.

The male/female vocals make for some interesting dynamics, both with backing harmonies and the way the melody of each song works out.  I had previously compared them to a band from Japan called Cigaretteman in the way the vocal interplay works over the course of a Martha song.  While I still see that comparison on Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart, I think the music side of the equation is slightly more subdued than it was on their last record, Courting Strong.

That's really it honestly.  It's a good record.  I have plenty of records that are pretty good like this one.  That doesn't mean they're bad at all, but what it usually ends up meaning is that they tend to get filed away and forgotten after the initial 'new release feeling' wears off.  We'll see how this works out for Martha.

Martha - Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart

https://marthadiy.bandcamp.com/album/blisters-in-the-pit-of-my-heart

Martha - Courting Strong LP

Salinas (2014)

This was the third of three records I bought from Salinas records.  I loved the Mapmaker record, but was pretty disappointed with the new one from Delay.  I'd say Martha is in between the two, but much closer to the Mapmaker side of the spectrum.

Now, that's not to say Martha sounds like Mapmaker at all, they couldn't be further actually.  Hailing from the UK, these guys trade in clean, jangle-y guitar that's bouncy and catchy.  The alternating boy/girl vocals make for a dynamic mix and allow for some incredible backing harmonies.  When the guy is singing, things seem a little faster and more energetic to me.  However, when the female vocals take the lead the songs are extremely catchy and the melodies are top notch.  It's really the best of both worlds and they remind me of the old Japanese band Cigaretteman a bit.

I'd never really heard of Martha prior to this album, and I really bought it on the strength of 1 song I heard while perusing the Salinas website.  It's always a risk buying records by bands you've never heard of before, sometimes you end up wasting money, but sometimes you end with something great like Martha.

Martha - Courting Strong LP:

http://marthadiy.bandcamp.com/album/courting-strong