Donegal/Mayo outfit Martellos are releasing their first full EP this Wednesday.
Strawberry Blonde is a three-track story delving into mental health, performance and finding freedom.
Lorcan Donnellan from Glenfin (lyrics/guitar) and Kevin Kevin Gunnigan from Mayo (beats/guitar) started making music as Martellos in 2022 with the aim of combining their two very different styles into something new and interesting.
Their upcoming EP exhibits their eclectic tastes, taking influence from LCD Soundsystem, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jamie T, Earl Sweatshirt and Jack Kerouac to name but a few. Singles from the EP, “West” and “95 (Strawberry Blonde)” have been well received in Ireland and the UK.
As lyricist Lorcan, has witnessed a stigma attached to mental health at home in Donegal in particular. He set out to communicate the story of someone struggling with their demons, loneliness and ennui before hitting their rock bottom and realising the only way out is attempting honesty with themselves.
Lorcan and Kevin explain: “Performance is a recurring motif in the EP. There is a performative aspect to living with mental health issues without sharing them. In Ireland, there is still a stigma attached to such issues; there exists a reluctance to reach out for help. As witnessed, this is a dangerous precedent. The theme is touched on explicitly through the samples in the first two tracks “West” and “Another” while the final song, contrastingly, is about eschewing performance altogether.”
The songs have also been very popular on radio. Ireland’s national radio RTE 2FM’s Jenny Greene, Beta Da Silva and Dan Hegarty have played their track. In the UK, BBC Radio 6’s DJ Deb Grant and NTS’s Macca have played the singles and been vocal in their backing.
Praise from Nialler9 said: “There’s no doubt where the two-piece duo Martellos are from… the song’s hypnotic bassline-driving electro-indie darknes.”
‘Strawberry Blonde’ EP is out on 25th October, 2023.
Visit their Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ov1lPs2oNptiNOOnpRAlg?si=MaOiFvIpRmKYJL3UOOnH6A
Stream on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/martellosmusic
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