Love Keeps Kicking

by Martha

Overview

U.K. punks Martha followed the same lines as their U.S. contemporaries of the DIY scene, melding soaring melodicism with upbeat tempos and raw, guitar-heavy production. A split release with punk crooners Radiator Hospital and tours with anthemic rocker Jeff Rosenstock were great places for their hook-heavy songs of heartbreak and understanding to grow. Third album Love Keeps Kicking finds Martha fully developed into a well-oiled machine of angsty lyricism and intricate guitar pop, sped up to a buzzing pitch. High-energy tunes that hold melancholic lyrical narratives are still the order of the day for the band, but on Love Keeps Kicking, both sound more refined than on previous albums. Opening track "Heart Is Healing" offers up bright, wistful vocal harmonies and a jittery tempo, but tempers vocal hooks with a spindly guitar lead that would sound at home in a punked-up version of Dire Straits. Intricate guitar arrangements shine throughout the album. "Mini Was a Preteen Arsonist" builds a dense wall of guitars, including gritty overdriven tones and layers of acoustic brightness. The rhythms are tight and unbusy, relying on speed more than showiness to offer support to blazing guitar solos and emphatic vocals. Pop is at the core of Martha's unique brand of songwriting, with the title track sounding parts Belle and Sebastian's carefree bounce, parts Los Campesinos' restless velocity. Things get really exciting when the band is playing almost too fast to contain their pop impulses. The first half of "Brutalism by the River (Arrhythmia)" speeds by so quickly it's hard to catch all the twisting hooks and interlocking melodies the first time around. Martha's confessional and lovelorn themes fit perfectly in their revved-up pop framework. Love Keeps Kicking is a crystal-clear presentation of their powers, making equal space for the group's enduring stories of heartsickness, well-crafted pop structures, and blazing guitar work. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	04/12/2019
Label:	Big Scary Monsters
UPC:	5060366787101
Rank:	157037

Tracks

1. Heart is Healing
2. Sight for Sore Eyes
3. Into This
4. Wrestlemania VIII
5. Mini Was a Preteen Arsonist
6. Love Keeps Kicking
7. Brutalism by the River (Arrhythmia)
8. Orange Juice
9. The Void
10. Lucy Shone a Light on You
11. The Only Letter That You Kept

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Martha   Primary Artist
Sam Shipstone   Lap Steel Guitar

Technical Credits

Eilidh Urquhart   Design
Daniel Ellis   Group Member,Composer
Martha   Composer
Dave Williams   Mastering
Nik Vestberg   Photography
Nathan Griffin   Group Member,Photography,Composer
Naomi Griffin   Composer,Group Member
Izzy Jarvis   Logo
Jonathan Cairns   Group Member,Composer