Meagre Martin announce debut album and share new single 'Please Clap' via Mansions & MIllions
Watch / share video for lead single 'Please Clap'
US tour dates supporting Alt-J announced
"It's another magical distillation of the band's effortless flair for turning these vulnerable and super relatable sentiments into poignant, ultimately cathartic songs that feel like low-key timeless anthems, thanks in large part to frontperson Sarah Martin's aching, dare we say Nicks-ian voice."
- Gorilla Vs Bear
"there’s a dark edge to Meagre Martin’s music, a bubbling undercurrent of the outsider’s perspective. It imbues the work with a restless energy that feels exhilarating; like walking towards the precipice with your eyes firmly closed."
- GoldFlakePaint
"The band have stated that their project was formed as a means of survival, and those feelings of desperation and craving connection persist"
- Consequence
Today, Berlin-based trio Meagre Martin has their shared new single 'Please Clap'. The single comes alongside the exciting news that on November 10th, the band will release their debut album Gut Punch via Mansions & Millions, as well as heading back to their native USA for a slew of live dates supporting Alt-J.
The project was founded in the summer of 2021 by the African-American musician and songwriter Sarah Martin (guitar, she/her), who was quickly joined by Federico ‘Freddy’ Corazzini (drums, he/him) and Max Hirtz-Wolf (bass, he/him).
On Gut Punch, Meagre Martin create a sound inspired by shoegaze, 90’s indie, or 'faux country,' as the band calls it, and juxtaposes these beautifully light soundscapes with lyrics that belie the sweetness of the sound with their vulnerability and depth. Sonically evoking images of California deserts and Berlin basements, of long thoughtful conversations in the twilight, days turning into nights in the park and nights turning into day again at a studio, Meagre Martin have created eleven tracks that beautifully flow into each other.
New single, 'Please Clap', is a satirical take on the feeling of inadequacy. "The original inspiration for the song came from using performance as a means of connection and a way to feel seen," explains Sarah. "As the song was forming, a lyric I was writing reminded me of a viral video from the 2016 US Presidential race of Jeb Bush giving a 'rousing' speech, then having to ask his audience to 'please clap'." Despite being against everything the Bush family stands for, Sarah felt pity for the eldest son, since he has always been overlooked throughout his career. Being the unseen second choice is something she could relate to.
"It was such an amazing time creating the music video with director Alessandra Corazzini," continues Martin. "From building the paper maché hands on the floor of my apartment, to filming in the beautiful Ballhaus Berlin, it was such a magical experience with a talented and kind crew. It's a sad song but the video brings a dark comedy to it, especially the play fighting from Max and Freddy."
All hailing from the United States, it was music that brought each of them to Berlin at some point or the other. “My boyfriend and I were priced out of New York," Sarah explains, Federico ended up in Germany after a stint of living in Spain as a musician, and Max returned to Berlin after his degree in Psychology and Music, having spent a year outside of the city volunteering in his late teens.
After meeting at Sebastian Maschat and Daniel Nentwig’s legendary Butterama studios in Neukölln where Freddy works and starting to share a rehearsal space, Max and Freddy, both with backgrounds in jazz, joined Sarah when a gig opportunity arose in early 2022. “I didn’t even know Max that well, but I knew he was the guy when he jammed and there were no instruments left except for a broken guitar that was completely out of tune – and he picked it and started to play something amazing with it," Freddy remembers, “he had this ability to blend in with whatever we played. That’s rare.” The show never happened – but more and more offers came in. And it quickly became certain that Meagre Martin would become a trio, a true band of three.
"We approached the album in a really old way of making music," Corazzini explains, "it felt like soul-searching as a band, the three of us together." Recording almost everything live together and making use of analogue equipment and techniques that the studio offers, the trio created songs that feel remarkably lived-in, in the best way possible.
Bridging indie sentimentalities and contemporary topics, Gut Punch is a record that manages to be both of its time and timeless, and introduces Meagre Martin as one of the most thoughtful, humane, and exciting bands of the contemporary indie sphere. With upcoming shows at Pop-Kultur Berlin, Waves Vienna, and a US tour with Alt-J, they’re ready to showcase their skills to a diverse public on both sides of the Atlantic. And we’re all the luckier for it.
Tracklist:
1 Intro
2 Mountain
3 TBD (The Big Death)
4 Wonderwall
5 All My Thoughts
6 Please Clap
7 Manic Pixie Dream Girl
8 Undercover
9 Pause
10 Amerika
11 Outro
Tour Dates
20/08/23 - Berlin, DE @ Mit Vergnügen Picknick
26/08/23 - Hamburg, DE @ Aalfest
01/09/23 - Berlin, DE @ Pop Kultur Festival
08/09/23 - Wien, AT @ Waves Vienna
09/09/23 - Dresden, DE @ Sound of Bronkow
19/10/23 - Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn w/ The Orielles
20/10/23 - Rotterdam, NL @ Left Of The Dial
21/10/23 - Rotterdam, NL @ Left Of The Dial
28/10/23 - Luzern, CH - Echolot Festival
9/11/23 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater *
10/11/23 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater *
13/11/23 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues - Dallas *
14/11/23 - Dallas, TX @House of Blues - Dallas *
15/11/23 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
16/11/23 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater *
18/11/23 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
19/11/23 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
20/11/23 - Toronto, ON @ HISTORY *
21/11/23 - Toronto, ON @ HISTORY *
24/11/23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
25/11/23 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
26/11/23 - Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works *
27/11/23 - Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theater *
29/11/23 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *
01/12/23 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo *
02/12/23 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo *
03/12/23 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo *
05/12/23 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall *
* support for Alt-J
Meagre Martin Online:
