Band Of The Week #256 - Meagre Martin
This week’s Band of the Week is USA trio Meagre Martin - who have just released their debut album ‘Gut Punch’ via Mansions & Millions.
Meagre Martin put a polished spin on the chic sounds of shoegaze and dream pop. The project was founded in the summer of 2021 by the African-American musician and songwriter Sarah Martin (guitar, she/her), who was quickly joined by Federico ‘Freddy’ Corazzini (drums, he/him) and Max Hirtz-Wolf (bass, he/him). All hailing from the United States, it was music that brought each of them to Berlin at some point or the other.
On Gut Punch, Meagre Martin create a sound inspired by shoegaze, 90’s indie, or 'faux country,' as the band calls it, and juxtaposes these beautifully light soundscapes with lyrics that belie the sweetness of the sound with their vulnerability and depth. Sonically evoking images of California deserts and Berlin basements, of long thoughtful conversations in the twilight, days turning into nights in the park and nights turning into day again at a studio, Meagre Martin have created eleven tracks – starting with the dreamy, ethereal ‘Intro’ and closing with the utterly different, yet equally vaporous ‘Outro’ – that beautifully flow into each other.
They took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Meagre Martin - how are you? So your album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
We good thanks! Hope you're well too. It's pretty trippy, we're all super excited to finally have this out. We can't wait to listen to it at -10% on our record players. It's feels good to have it out in the world so we can start to focus on working on new songs.
It is called ‘Gut Punch' - what is the meaning behind that?
Sarah - A lot of the songs have to do with grief, and I feel like a good description of that feeling is like a punch in the gut. Getting the wind knocked out of you and your heart sinking to your stomach and this kind of reeling back and forth on this alternate plane.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
We recorded it at Butterama Recording Center a studio that our Freddy is a partner of. It's close to where we all live so we were there almost everyday during the summer so it felt a lot like camp. It was one of the hottest summers so far, we're lucky the tape didn't melt off the tape machine. The door to the studio is right in the control room so it felt like a Seinfeld episode with different characters popping in and out during our sessions. The studio has one sofa so we had to take turns napping (but it was mostly Sarah). It was one of the best times in our lives and we grew so close through the trials and tribulations of writing and producing an album together.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Grief is one of the leading themes, built up tension from winters in Berlin, climate anxiety, and isolation are some other themes that flow through the album.
If the album could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
Dazed and Confused (but only if it was with a female protagonist), because the time period it's based in is the generation of music that we draw a lot of inspiration from. Here in Berlin, it feels like the 70s, you pay everything in cash, the buildings are old, and the studio we recorded in is all vintage analog and we recorded on tape.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album - if so, which one and why?
One of our favorite lines is in the song "Undercover" and it goes like this "In the Garden I'm waiting, until they come and pave it. Knocks at the door but I'm trapped in my own head. All that I want is a two room apartment, all that I need is some shade beneath the trees." We really love the juxtaposition between metaphor and literal in those lines. Sometimes the lines allow for interpretation and other times it stands alone as fact. A lot of our favorite parts/lyrics come at the end of songs - we call it outrocore.
Now the album is out there - what next?
We have crazy plans, so crazy they just might work. (But for real, new music, tour opening for Alt-J, European 2024 tour, SXSW & many more festivals this summer. Can't wait y'all)
