Martin Luke Brown releases the next single to be taken from his debut album, listen to ‘**it gets better’ HERE. New album, ‘damn, look at the view !’, will be released on May 19th 2023 - pre-order HERE.
Martin comments on the new single: “The whole album is a big explore into mental health and general sort of coming of age, angst, nostalgia, all of it. I guess ‘**it gets better’ is the simplest in its meaning - I almost imagined my Mum singing it to me. It’s such a hilarious over simplification of mental health, almost like saying ‘don’t worry about it, it’ll blow over’. It’s ironic really, cos I'm not really entirely sure I believe that it does get better for everyone, but it’s nice for people to just feel good and have a boogie. I wanted to have a song on the record that just felt good and hopeful, as if you’ve arrived home after a long time away”.
Also released today is the first in a series of session videos where Martin enlisted his creative family to join him at Middle Farm Studios in Devon, to perform tracks from ‘damn! look at the view’. Martin is joined by Greta Isaac, dodie and Orla Gartland, amon gst others, to perform live session versions of the tracks. Watch ‘**it gets better’ HERE.
Martin comments: “I first experienced Middle Farm recording on Orla’s album, and immediately knew how special a place it was. Obviously it’s an amazing space with great gear, beautiful nature, with it being in the middle-of-nowhere, away from London is also very desirable. But it’s the heart and soul of the place that pulls you back. Everyone is encouraged to pull their weight and help out. There’s no egos. You all sleep in a bunk room, you all eat dinner together. There's a real authentic sense of togetherness and community that I don't think I've ever experienced to such an extent anywhere else”.
Orla Gartland comments: “I loved being a part of these live sessions - Martin’s album is so special and there is no greater joy for me than playing music with my friends. Middle Farm, the studio where we recorded these sessions, is such a special place and Pete Miles had a big hand in bringing these new versions of the songs together. Personal highlights for me were playing the insane rack of 80’s toms in ‘**it gets better’ and singing the harmonies with dodie in ‘elsie’".
Greta Isaac comments: “There was so much tangible electric energy in that room, the intentions were so good and heartfelt, a feeling that sadly sometimes gets lost and forgotten about as a working artist or musician. Martin often talks about the feeling of existential wonder we can find in very simple moments, and I think we kept finding it in that live room playing all together. We’d look over at one another and smile and chuckle at how lucky we were, not only to be playing music in our twenties, but to get to do it alongside our best, most dearest friends that have all played a huge part in our lives, one way or another. It was unforgettable, I could cry thinking about it".
dodie comments: “there are times in life where you look around at your friends and take a mental snapshot because you’re so grateful - any time spent with the crowd that surrounds Martin and his music are full of those moments! I love seeing boys get tearful about joy - and Middle Farm is the perfect place to house so much musicality and love".
A self taught multi instrumentalist since the age of 12, Martin grew up in Leicester, a cultural melting pot, which defined his formative years, before moving to London for University aged 19. Once relocated in the capital, two years of gigging and writing, alongside his studies, lead to him leaving University after his debut single ‘Nostalgia’ landed him a major label record deal.
Martin comments: “Looking back, I wasn't ready for it back then. I've always believed in my ability as a musician - I know I'm capable, but becoming an artist and really owning what I AM has taken me a long time to get to grips with. I was so uncomfortable and out of my depth and that led to a lot of mental health struggles".
In 2017, Martin decided to take an indefinite break from his artist project. He’d already begun working on other projects, and naturally transitioned into more of a collaborator - guiding other artists and helping them find their voice. In the five years since, MLB has had well over 100 released songs as either a co-writer or a producer, including songs with BTS, Lizzy McAlpine, Sam Tompkins, Dylan, Jacob Banks, Gavin James, Victoria Canal, James Smith, Greta Isaac, Orla Gartland, Sody, Jack Kane, and many more (co-writes with YUNGBLUD and Galantis to come this summer).
As the world would come to a standstill in early 2020, the daily rhythm of sessions; writing, recording and working with other artists stopped too. Martin comments: “I kept writing songs, but they weren’t really for anyone. It was just a fun way to pass time. I started to fall in love with music again away from the manic noisy treadmill that is the music industry. I started working more regularly with producer (an old friend from Leicester) Matt Zara, and we serendipitously happened upon this new sound. It felt right, everything just fell into place in a way I’d never experienced before".
It was during this time Martin refined his artistry, leading to his new project. Returning now with a blissful, west coast inspired sound, ‘damn look at the view !’ is Martin’s debut album and one that marks a significant new era in both his musical career and life.
On the album Martin comments: “When I listen through it, it all seems so uncomplicated. There’s not many chords, the lyrics are pretty much just stuff I would say on a day to day basis, the instrumentation is pretty much just guitar, bass, drums, piano with some soundscapes. It’s simple, but I can’t begin to explain how crazy the journey to arrive at that place was.” He continues, “I’ve been an artist for over 10 years now and I never truly felt like myself during any of it. I always aimed to be something more clever, more boundary-pushing, more brilliant than I am, and it always left me feeling like I just wasn’t good enough to pull off what I was aiming to achieve".
For Martin, it really is all about a sense of belonging, that in turn makes everyone feel comfortable to be their authentic selves…his community: “I felt the album campaign itself so far had been quite an isolated journey visually - only really showing me in the artworks etc. and i think that’s true to an extent with my life, I never really felt anchored in a community or that I ever ‘found my people’ until my late twenties. Especially for the happier moments of the album like ‘**it gets better’ - I only really believe in that sentiment because embracing community and togetherness instead of chasing individualism has enriched my life and genuinely made everything better. I knew Middle
Farm was the only place to showcase that in an authentic way. Community is everything!”