Martha (band)
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Martha are a rock band from
Pity Me Pity Me is a suburban village of Durham, England, located north of Framwellgate Moor and west of Newton Hall. Etymology There are various theories on the origin of Pity Me's unusual name. Most likely, as speculated in the ''Oxford Dictionary o ...
, a village in County Durham in the North East of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. After singles on their own Discount Horse label and
Odd Box Records Odd Box Records was a British DIY indiepop record label started in London but was finally based in Cardiff, Wales, following relocation in 2016. It was hailed as a "big presence on the indiepop scene." History Odd Box was launched in 2009, aft ...
, their debut album ''Courting Strong'', was released on Fortuna Pop! and
Salinas Records Salinas Records is a Detroit, Michigan-based punk rock record label established in 2003 by Marco Reosti. Reosti initially didn't have any intentions to start a label, only aiming to release a 7-inch for his own band. He put the name of author Joh ...
in 2014. As of 2022 they have released four full-length albums on cult UK and US based independent record labels. They have described themselves as queer, straight edge,
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
and anarchist. They have no designated frontperson and all contribute vocals. Two members of Martha previously founded (and still play in) the band ONSIND, and another lead the band No Ditching. They have variously cited
The Housemartins The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK. Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianit ...
, Motown, Billy Bragg,
The Thermals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
Ted Leo Theodore Francis Leo is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both. Early life Born in South Bend, I ...
,
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...
, The Replacements,
Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
,
The Marked Men The Marked Men is an American punk rock band from Denton, Texas, United States, composed of guitarists/vocalists Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke, bassist Joe Ayoub, and drummer Mike Throneberry. They have released four albums through Rip Off Records, ...
,
Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a ne ...
,
Masshysteri Masshysteri ( en, Mass hysteria) was a Swedish Post-Punk band, formed in Umeå in 2008. The group consisted of Robert Pettersson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Sara Almgren (bass guitar, vocals), Kajsa Bergsten (lead guitar) and Erik Viklund (drums) H ...
, and The Exploding Hearts as influences.


History

Martha formed in the village of
Pity Me Pity Me is a suburban village of Durham, England, located north of Framwellgate Moor and west of Newton Hall. Etymology There are various theories on the origin of Pity Me's unusual name. Most likely, as speculated in the ''Oxford Dictionary o ...
, a suburb of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
in the
North East of England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authority ...
. Formed by J.C. Cairns (guitar/vocals), Daniel Ellis (guitar/vocals), Naomi Griffin (bass/vocals), and Nathan Stephens-Griffin (drums/vocals) in the early 2010s, they released their self-titled debut EP in February 2012. A year later they released the ''"Sycamore"''/''"Lost Without You"'' single on their own Discount Horse label. The band played Indietracks festival for the first time in 2013. After releasing a split single with American artist Spoonboy (David Combs of The Max Levine Ensemble) Martha headed to the studio with MJ of Hookworms to record their first album. ''Courting Strong'' was released by Fortuna Pop! in the U.K. and
Salinas Records Salinas Records is a Detroit, Michigan-based punk rock record label established in 2003 by Marco Reosti. Reosti initially didn't have any intentions to start a label, only aiming to release a 7-inch for his own band. He put the name of author Joh ...
in the U.S. They followed it with more split singles with American bands Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez and
Radiator Hospital Radiator Hospital is an American indie rock band. Though songwriter Sam Cook-Parrott (vocals/guitar) is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, they are now based in Philadelphia. The rest of the current lineup is Cynthia Schemmer (guitar/vocals), Jon Rybic ...
, a repeat visit to Indietracks and an appearance at Glastonbury Festival. Their next album '' Blisters in the Pit of My Heart'', also produced by MJ, was issued in mid-2016 by
Dirtnap Records Dirtnap Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock. It was founded by Ken Cheppaikode while he was living in Seattle, Washington, in 1999. He bought Green Noise record store in Portland, Oregon, in 2005 and then ran the lab ...
in the U.S. and Fortuna Pop! once again in the U.K. They toured the UK with
Radiator Hospital Radiator Hospital is an American indie rock band. Though songwriter Sam Cook-Parrott (vocals/guitar) is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, they are now based in Philadelphia. The rest of the current lineup is Cynthia Schemmer (guitar/vocals), Jon Rybic ...
in late 2015, and played a tour of the UK and Ireland with
Joyce Manor Joyce Manor is an American punk rock band from Torrance, California, formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ebert. Since their formation, the band hav ...
in July 2017. In mid to late April and early May 2018 they, along with Bad Moves of
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, supported
Jeff Rosenstock Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock (born September 7, 1982) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. He is known for his former bands Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as we ...
for the Northeastern and
Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
leg of his US tour. On 17 April 2018 Martha, filling in last minute for
Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James M ...
, were the guest band on an episode of
The Chris Gethard Show ''The Chris Gethard Show'' was a phone-in comedy and variety talk show created and hosted by Chris Gethard. Initially a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, the show debuted on public-access channel Manhattan Neighborh ...
on
truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...
. On 13 December 2018 the band released single ''"Heart Is Healing"''; announcing they had signed to
Big Scary Monsters Big Scary Monsters Recording Company (often known simply as Big Scary Monsters or BSM Records) is an independent record label based in Oxford, England, UK. Its releases include La Dispute, Beach Slang, Modern Baseball, Minus The Bear, mewit ...
in the UK and EU and had a new album following soon. On 28 January 2019 the band unveiled title track ''"Love Keeps Kicking"'' as a single. The video for which was the second directed for the band by friends Ben Epstein and David Combs of The Max Levine Ensemble. The band's third album, ''
Love Keeps Kicking ''Love Keeps Kicking'' is the third studio album by the English band Martha. It was originally released on 5 April 2019 by Big Scary Monsters in the UK/EU and Dirtnap Records in the US. Release Martha released the album's first single, "Heart Is ...
'', was released on 5 April 2019. On 28 October 2022 the band released their fourth full-length album ''Please Don't Take Me Back'' on Specialist Subject Records in the UK and Dirtnap Records in the US. It was their first album to be released by Specialist Subject, although they had put out a 7" single with them prior. It's also the band's first album to be recorded with Phil Booth at JT Soar in Nottingham, however three tracks from their 2014 split with Spoonboy had been recorded there previously.


Discography


Albums

*''Courting Strong'' – Fortuna Pop! (UK) / Salinas (US), 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2014) *'' Blisters in the Pit of My Heart'' – Fortuna Pop! (UK) / Dirtnap (US), 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2016) *''
Love Keeps Kicking ''Love Keeps Kicking'' is the third studio album by the English band Martha. It was originally released on 5 April 2019 by Big Scary Monsters in the UK/EU and Dirtnap Records in the US. Release Martha released the album's first single, "Heart Is ...
'' –
Big Scary Monsters Big Scary Monsters Recording Company (often known simply as Big Scary Monsters or BSM Records) is an independent record label based in Oxford, England, UK. Its releases include La Dispute, Beach Slang, Modern Baseball, Minus The Bear, mewit ...
(UK/EU) / Dirtnap (US), 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2019) *''Please Don't Take Me Back'' – Specialist Subject (UK/EU) / Dirtnap (US), 12" LP, CD, Cassette, MP3 (2022)


Extended plays

*''Martha'' EP – Discount Horse/Win Htein/ Odd Box, Cassette, MP3 (2012) and Tuff Enuff reissue, 7", MP3 (2015)


Singles

*"Sycamore"/"Lost Without You" – Discount Horse, 7", MP3 (2013) *"The Winter Fuel Allowance Ineligibility Blues"/"Fix My Brain" (
The Marked Men The Marked Men is an American punk rock band from Denton, Texas, United States, composed of guitarists/vocalists Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke, bassist Joe Ayoub, and drummer Mike Throneberry. They have released four albums through Rip Off Records, ...
cover) - Fortuna Pop!, 7", MP3 (2017) *"Heart is Healing" – Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU) / Dirtnap (US), MP3 (2018) *"Love Keeps Kicking" – Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU) / Dirtnap (US), MP3 (2019) *"Into This" – Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU) / Dirtnap (US), MP3 (2019) *"Please Don't Take Me Back" – Specialist Subject, 7", MP3 (2022) *"Beat Perpetual" - Dirtnap, 7", MP3 (2022) *"Hope Gets Harder" - Specialist Subject/Dirtnap, MP3 (2022)


Split releases

*Split EP with Spoonboy – Nervous Nelly, 7", MP3 (2014) *Split EP with
Radiator Hospital Radiator Hospital is an American indie rock band. Though songwriter Sam Cook-Parrott (vocals/guitar) is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, they are now based in Philadelphia. The rest of the current lineup is Cynthia Schemmer (guitar/vocals), Jon Rybic ...
Specialist Subject, 7", MP3 (2015) *Split EP with Benny the Jet Rodriguez – Drunken Sailor, 7", MP3 (2015)


References


External links


Official websiteMartha
discography at
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

Discount Horse Records
{{Authority control Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom British indie pop groups English pop punk groups Straight edge groups Queercore groups Musical groups from County Durham Specialist Subject Records artists Big Scary Monsters Recording Company artists