In the 2010s the U.K. punk-pop quartet Martha channeled the same charged yet introspective spirit that defined the American DIY underground, sharing ground with acts such as Swearin' and Radiator Hospital. Their sound combined interlocking vocal lines, serrated guitars, and brisk rhythms to produce a taut strain of melodic pop showcased on the 2016 album Blisters in the Pit of My Heart and the 2021 release Please Don't Take Me Back.
The group originated in Pity Me, a suburb of Durham in northern England, where J.C. Cairns on guitar and vocals, Daniel Ellis on guitar and vocals, Naomi Griffin on bass and vocals, and Nathan Stephens-Griffin on drums and vocals came together in the early 2010s. Their debut EP, issued under the band's own name in February 2012, was followed a year later by the single "Sycamore"/"Lost Without You" on the self-run Discount Horse imprint. Throughout this period the musicians toured extensively, made their first appearance at Indietracks in 2013, and steadily expanded their audience.
Following a split single with Spoonboy, the quartet entered the studio with MJ of Hookworms to cut its debut full-length, Courting Strong, which Fortuna POP! issued in the U.K. and Salinas released in the U.S. Subsequent split releases with Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez and Radiator Hospital accompanied further road work that included a second trip to Indietracks and a set at Glastonbury. The next album, again tracked with MJ, displayed greater refinement without sacrificing the raw urgency that had first drawn attention; Blisters in the Pit of My Heart appeared in mid-2016 on Dirtnap in the U.S. and Fortuna POP! in the U.K. Promotion continued through 2017 with shows across Europe and the United States alongside Joyce Manor and Bad Moves plus an opening slot for American punk musician Jeff Rosenstock.
Early in 2018 the band reconvened to compose and record its third LP. By year's end the musicians had announced their signing to the British label Big Scary Monsters, and their first release for the imprint, Love Keeps Kicking, emerged in April 2019. The fourth album, Please Don't Take Me Back, arrived in 2021. While the songwriting continued to merge intense personal feeling with commentary on national politics, the record introduced occasional saxophone and synthesizer lines into the group's compact, hook-driven punk framework.
