Smoking Martha – “In Deep”
14th November 2018Australia has always had a pretty solid output when it comes to music on a global level; they cater for pretty much everyone, whether you prefer some AC/DC, or KYLIE MINOGUE or even a bit of ROLF HARRIS. But while these are now legendary/infamous in their respective fields, recent successes of the likes of PARKWAY DRIVE and TONIGHT ALIVE have kept Australia firmly on the map, so itâs only natural that further artists emerge from the land down under. This brings us to SMOKING MARTHAâŚnot to be confused with trendy new drugs like Spice, Martha (Consisting of vocalist Tasha D, guitarist Mick Broome, bassist Matty Mulheran and drummer Jordy Poynter) formed in Brisbane along the Gold Coast and have already established themselves as strong up-and-comers on the live circuit. 2018 sees them collaborate with Bad Reputation Records on an international release of their debut album âIn DeepââŚlets dive in.
We open up like Kim Jong-Il with âSo Lonelyâ though while there are no puppets in sight here, the pacing does often come across as a little wooden. The initial sound of the guitar riffs has a certain WOLFMOTHER-inspired tone to it, but aside from a slightly bolder chorus, richer in melody and soaring vocals, itâs quite safe and middle of the road. In terms of likeness, Tasha comes across as being somewhere between GWEN STEFANI and Chloe from SKARLETT RIOT, but the record doesnât quite get going just yet. Sadly though, it doesnât quite get going for the duration eitherâŚ
Donât get me wrong there are moments of interest and enjoyment, in particular the albums highlightâs âOne Nightâ and âFollowâ; the former is a shorter, sharp dose of gritty hard rock that takes advantage of Tashaâs husky vocals layered over a pacey, up-tempo classic rock ânâ roll piece, while the latter opts instead for an almost TOOL-like sludgy riff approach; the brooding tone is well executed as it transitions into a deep, blues-rock inspired track. On the flip side then, âBaby Let Me Goâ is a wonderfully sweet acoustic ballad, backed by soft string sections, allowing for Tashaâs hushed vocal style to sound even more effectiveâŚsheâd make a decent country singer truth be told.
Aside from that too much of the record falls short of the bands clear potentialâŚâSay Youâre Mineâ, despite some solid riff work, as well as a wonderfully placed up-tempo hook leading towards the tracks climax never truly ignites, leaving the listener almost let down. Ironically Tasha repeats the line âI deserve moreâ and you canât help but agree. We do Tasha, we do! The same can be said for tracks elsewhereâŚâFind A Wayâ chugs along with about as much fluidity as Theresa May trying to dance without appearing like she was built by Skynet to fuck the future up, before closing track âStranger Thingsâ suffers from a case of the upside down; a flat and repetitive chorus despite its strong build up spoiling proceedings. Ironically again, lyrics of fighting to be relevant arenât backed up by the very song theyâre in.
If thereâs one appealing factor to salvage this fresh release is that is also contains five bonus tracks, which are demo versions of the bands 2014 self-titled EP and truth be told, here they sound all the more impressive! More rough around the edges and with a bit more bite; the raw rock appeal is something that clearly benefits them as a band musically and ideally itâs something they should try to harness more going forward. Donât get me wrong the band sound great AS A BAND, but this album doesn’t hit a home run. They may be smoking by name but in this instance the fire wasnât properly lit heading into the studio.
Score: 5 / 10
Track List:
- “So Lonely”
- “Say You’re Mine”
- “To The Stars”
- “Ebb Of The Tide”
- “One Night”
- “Baby Let Me Go”
- “Follow”
- “Find A Way”
- “What’s Her Name”
- “Stranger Things”
- “All Lit Up (Demo)”
- “Sweet As Honey (Demo)”
- “Fake Promises (Demo)”
- “Bad Choices (Demo)”
- “Heavy Heart (Demo)”
Record Label:
Bad Reputation Records
Release Date:
November 9thFor all things Smoking Martha, click HERE and to purchase the album, click HERE