EP REVIEW: Martha Goddard - It Comes In Waves

Having become renowned on the Liverpool scene thanks to her captivating songwriting with The Hushtones, Martha Goddard has turned her attentions to her solo work, digging deeper into her thoughts and emotions than ever before to produce tracks that are just as sonically silky and moving yet, with an added lyrical poignancy. This has culminated in the recent release of her new EP 'It Comes In Waves'.

What is instantly striking on the EP is the magical layering that is at play within the tracks. Vocally, this occurs with swathes of echoed vocals overlapping and intertwining, providing equal amounts of power and subtlety, delivering both crisp melodies and ethereal textural tones with ease.

The opening track 'Voices' is a great example of this as Martha guides you through cinematic verses with a well-rounded lead vocal that draws your attention in before backing harmonies and floating vocal textures begin to swirl around you, eventually absorbing you just like the "voices" inside Martha's head. We always love when the soundscape of a track perfectly fits the lyrical sentiment and 'Voices' is the perfect example of that.

The following three tracks showcase Martha's versatility. 'Circles' dances between the rich, warm vocals and deep storytelling of Folk yet injecting a modern Indie / Electro Pop brightness that really brings the track alive. The vocals are brimming with emotion once again and the instrumentals have a shimmering, bittersweet quality. The chorus produces a wonderfully complex feeling, both haunting, hypnotic, harrowing and hopeful! This is our standout on the EP.

'Lasso' then leans fully into the Electro Pop sphere as Martha experiments more with a range of electronic textures and bright tangles of vocals that ring of Lana Del Rey in places. 'Teacher' then switches the vibe to a romantic, late-night lounge serenade that has the silky drama of a Bond song and the delicate, vulnerability that makes this EP connect so well emotively.

A fantastic collection of tracks that showcases all the best sides of Martha's songwriting, arrangements and vocal talents rounded off by the punchy Electro remix of 'Voices' from Che Wilson that rounds things off with a lasting party energy, infused by a slightly strange, warped production that will make your head spin one final time.