MarthaGunn return with their euphoric new track ‘Honest’, out now via Communion. Stream here.
‘Honest’ is an atmospheric and nuanced tale, celestially soaring as the band’s front woman Abi Woodman transforms her identity, grieving the person she once was through confronting fear and trauma.
Speaking further on the single Abi says “Back in 2016 I did a meditation with my mum. I remember asking in my meditation what I needed to do to get better at writing songs. I was shown a piano. I bought a piano a few weeks later and this was the first song I wrote on it. I didn’t really feel like I wrote it. It was one of those songs that just wrote itself. For me ‘Honest’ is about a few things. It’s the death of the person you were before a trauma. The grief you feel, knowing that person will never exist again and that you will always see life through new eyes due to experiencing something major. It’s also about the fear of failure and the shame associated with that. The fear of not living up to your own or peoples expectations of you.”
“The lyric ‘Bereavement of a friend, a version of yourself naturally came to the end’ is about breaking the shell for painful growth that is necessary to keep going. The only way to move through a painful time is to grow from it. I find that if you don’t choose to grow and keep moving, things become stagnant and you will become depressed. Lastly, it’s an ode to my mum. That woman means everything to me.”
‘Honest’ follows the release of ‘Nowhere To Run’, the first taste of new music since 2020’s debut EP ‘Caught Up & Confused’. In that time the Brighton group have rallied support from tastemakers including CLASH, Independent, Dork and The Line of Best Fit, alongside BBC Introducing Track of The Week and John Kennedy (Radio X).
MarthaGunn are comprised of best friends Abi Woodman, Max Hunter, Humphrey Luck, Ally Mackay and Frankie Sparrowhawk. Taking sonic cues from indie rock icons Fleetwood Mac to Haim, to alternative R&B stars James Blake and The Weeknd, the Brighton based band are creating their own unique brand of lovelorn celestial indie pop (“I am absolutely obsessed with all things love, it’s just all I write about” Abi confesses).
If there’s one goal MarthaGunn want to achieve with their music, it’s connection. Last year Abi created a Songwriters Circle via Instagram live as a means to keep musicians connected through the pandemic, and as a way for her peers to expand their craft – guests included Another Sky, Katy J Pearson, Willie J Healy and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. They also embarked on a virtual tour in light of having shows cancelled, playing a special set for each date including a locally sourced cover. “I want to connect with people. The beautiful thing about songs is that you don’t have to know someone, but you can connect with them through the same song without saying anything. I want [our music] to be able to help people in some way.”
