Martyrs: "Hyacinth" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have made a video for Hyacinth, a track from their Last Summer EP: "Michael Hall and Jon Howells don't give a fuck about what is fashionable right now and recording their music in splendid isolation, away from the suits and A&R types gives them the freedom to release anything they feel that deserves to be heard. This DIY ecleticism resulted in a string of EPS that all sound different, safe for the vocals who were left as is. People who think that utterly danceable music and meaningful lyrics can't share the bed willl stand corrected."

Nice touch filming only multi-instrumentalist Jon for this one, as most videos focus on the singer.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the Last Summer EP

Martyrs: Last Summer EP

Welsh synth duo Martyrs wrote a bunch of love songs for their Last Summer EP, wrapping them in lush melodies (Hyacinth) as well in-your-face made for the dance floor percussion (Sunburn Under Blue Linen). Love, loss and lust all get their place in the spotlights.

Michael Hall and Jon Howells don't give a fuck about what is fashionable right now and recording their music in splendid isolation, away from the suits and A&R types gives them the freedom to release anything they feel that deserves to be heard. This DIY ecleticism resulted in a string of EPS that all sound different, safe for the vocals who were left as is. People who think that utterly danceable music and meaningful lyrics can't share the bed willl stand corrected.

Martyrs: Drowning Days

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have proof that you can feel sad and overcome by grief on a glorious day, even when they are in their favourite city Barcelona. With Drowning Days they are trying to come up for air after being swept on their feet by a tidal wave of emotions. They describe the song themselves as "saddest banger of the summer", which is an accurate description for this mix of old school early techno and electronic pop.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the Church Street EP

Martyrs: "Twist The Cap" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have made a video for Twist The Cap, a track from their Church Street EP: "It may seem that Michael Hall and Jon Howells are making it up as they go along - synth driven 80s inspired dance is not associated with meaningful lyrics, so superimposing their easy-on-the-ears music with challenging words feels a bit awkward at first. Having the best of both worlds is no mean feat, and it made the completion of this collection of songs a cumbersome process. Thankfully they persisted."

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the Church Street EP

HCTF premiere - Martyrs: "You've Been Here Before" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have made a video for You've Been Here Before, a sound collage from their Church Street EP. Since the main theme of that release was nostalgia, an abstract track about the demise of physical media - note the references to VHS tapes - fitted in nicely along the "proper" songs. The footage looks beat up and blurry on purpose, to show the slow degradation of it that happened over time.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the Church Street EP

Martyrs: Church Street EP

Welsh synth duo Martyrs are in a melancholy mood on their Church Street EP, reminiscing in the title track about a long gone record store, a pub that served piss-poor pints, but was welcoming and cosy. Twist The Cap, which is offered in two different versions - one uncannily happy and one quite sad, is a love letter of sorts to the valleys for which Wales is rightly known. More personal turmoil is tackled in the sound collage You've Been Here Before and Having The Window Open Helps. The outlier is He Breaks Horses, a danceable history lesson about the Merthyr Rising of 1831, when the working class first raised a red flag a symbol of rebellion.

It may seem that Michael Hall and Jon Howells are making it up as they go along - synth driven 80s inspired dance is not associated with meaningful lyrics, so superimposing their easy-on-the-ears music with challenging words feels a bit awkward at first. Having the best of both worlds is no mean feat, and it made the completion of this collection of songs a cumbersome process. Thankfully they persisted - or gave up in some cases and went for a sort of finished track that worked it very well, despite all their misgivings and doubts. Sometimes further tinkering is not have helpful at all, something they will to keep in the back of their minds for their next release.

Martyrs: "snowglobe" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs made a video for snowglobe, a track from their sno-fi ep of which proceeds the will be donated to Cancer Research UK.

The clip features unused footage from the live version of the track, shot at the old Granville Hotell in Ramsgate, plus some extra shots from that location in order to capture their mood alternating between anxiety and elation when they recorded the EP.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the sno-fi ep

Martyrs: "snow came down" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs made a video for snow came down, a track from their sno-fi ep of which proceeds the will be donated to Cancer Research UK. It is a slow song, looking back on the innocent days when they were young and having a ball messing around in the white stuff was all that was needed to have a great day.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the sno-fi ep

Martyrs: sno-fi ep

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have recorded a Christmas EP and lo and behold: it does not suck. The proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research UK. All tracks have snow in the title and were recorded quickly as time was of the essence.

They included a demo of one of the songs and also a recording of their first ever live effort, which came out better than they expected. snow through frosted glass is the best one, with a pulsating beat underneath a spoken word story about the weather in general and the white stuff in particular.

Martyrs: October Kind

Welsh duo Martyrs are playing with shifting rhythms on October Kind, a track from their forthcoming Halloween Dream EP. The song never really settles on a beat or a mood, which is quite fitting for the anxiety and excitement that are essential ingredients of this particular holiday. Michael Hall and Jon Howells are firmly enamoured with 80s production values, with post-punk and the New Romantics as the most obvious reference points.

Martyrs: Syncline Folds EP

Welsh duo Martyrs are sitting comfortably on the fence between disco and early house on their Syncline Folds EP. Both genres are not exactly known for meaningful lyrical content, but there is a place for soul searching in the title track and a history lesson, well sort of, in Chicago Folk House. The latter pays tribute to the pioneers in the Windy City by way of a gentle clash between acoustic guitars and beats.

Michael Hall and Jon Howells have taken two genres that dominated the mainstream back in the day and given them the fresh coat of paint. However, the real gem on the EP is Project 1, with angry guitars overpowering the beats, giving rock an unexpected victory over dance music.