smoking martha hysteria
smoking martha hysteria

Smoking MarthaUniverse

Independent
3rd December, 2021
9
Repeat Listens!

Brisbane quartet Smoking Martha become masters of their enigmatic sonic universe via their second studio album, the aptly titled Universe, which released at the end of last year to resounding acclaim.

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A firestorm of rock, punk, and punching swagger, Smoking Martha are no strangers to fans both at home down under as well as in the UK, Europe, and beyond, with previous releases vigorously cementing their stake as one of Australia’s most exciting burgeoning exports.


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The group’s latest album Universe may have dropped in December of 2021, but it’s right here and right now in 2022 that the band can finally and voraciously tour their sweltering new LP, with two album launch shows still to come this Saturday in Brisbane before concluding later this month in Sydney. With more kick than a shot of tabasco and a sea of outstanding performances, Universe is equal parts gritty, elegant, and sultry – and a must-listen for anyone with a rock ‘n’ roll pulse. 

Erupting with the barbed and bubbly Good Girls, Universe kicks ass and takes names from the get-go, with the rollicking opener oozing vintage flavours alongside Gwen Stefani-ready vocals and irresistible beats. Chanting “Let’s drink the Kool-Aid” throughout, Good Girls will get you drinking from the Smoking Martha font instantly before the hook-tastic Only Love wields the band’s ability to effortlessly fuse clever earworms and razor-sharp riffs. From here, it’s a dazzling journey between steadfast melodics (I Tried), soft seduction (Wonderful Happiness) and stadium-ready anthems (Liquid Sunshine), before the album’s midway point Intermission strips back with some smoky and sparse blues beauty.

Being able to dish up raw rock and punk elements with just the right amount of polish is something many veterans of the genre struggle with at the best of times, and yet somehow Smoking Martha effortlessly pull it off in their own commanding way yet again on this second full length album.

Embodying the band’s own neon-hued logo, the second half of Universe arrives via Neon Lights amid country licks, emphatic beats and vocalist Tasha D’s invincible charm. Ghost offers a modern spin on vintage harder rock territory before It’s A Lie hurls all the snarls against some bluesy charm and enthralling textures, perfectly laying the foundation for the utter rock raucous of Wild & Free. Further flexing their penchant for enigmatic songwriting, penultimate track In The Shadows feasts on oscillating melodics, sharp grooves, and growling basslines before Universe’s very own title track closes out proceedings in an ethereal and hypnotically demure fashion. 

Smoking Martha certainly aren’t a secret by any means both at home and abroad, with their previous releases scoring attention overseas from from the UK’s Powerplay Magazine, England’s Classic Rock Magazine, and the UK’s HuffPost, as well as recently winning hearts and melting faces locally at Halloween Hysteria, Wallapalooza and launch shows on the Sunshine and Gold Coast earlier this year. And it’s on Universe that the pathway first established by Smoking Martha’s insatiable 2017 debut album In Deep is ricocheted beyond the stars and into a radiant stratosphere via sophisticated songwriting, knockout performances, and plenty of innovative surprises on the classic hard rock and punkier tropes. Being able to dish up raw rock and punk elements with just the right amount of polish is something many veterans of the genre struggle with at the best of times, and yet somehow Smoking Martha effortlessly pull it off in their own commanding way yet again on this second full length album. Forget the multiverse, Universe is all the rock ‘n’ roll heaven you could hope for. 

STANDOUT TRACKS: Good Girls, Only Love, It’s A Lie, Wild & Free,
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Valhalla Lights, No Doubt, Arctic Monkeys

Catch Smoking Martha at the following dates:

Sat 9 July // Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage // Brisbane
Fri 22 July // The Duke of Enmore // Sydney

Tickets available here.


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