by Philip Moss

Found Out, the latest release from Martha Skye Murphy, follows on from last year’s Yours Truly EP – in that it is not so much great songwriting, as great song de-construction. All the parts that make up great alternative pop are here: just not necessarily in the right order or places.

Dismantling her songs like an audible jigsaw – Found Out is led by an enchanting melody and her soft voice. But it is also uncomfortable – a metaphor for the way in which Murphy tackles her arrangements: bass notes covered in tar like distortion treatments growl against the immovable chime of a repetitive acoustic loop; John Parish-like backing vocals drone against moments of total clarity that could be lifted from Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave. But it feels trite to compare Murphy to anyone else – even greats such as Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave and Aldous Harding who all come to mind. She is unequivocally herself. A special, unique artist who is slotting the jigsaw pieces in – her way.

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