Martin Luke Brown Announces Debut Album Release ‘damn, look at the view !’ Out on May 19th

Martin Luke Brown announces debut album - ‘damn, look at the view !’ will be released on May 19th 2023 - pre-order HERE.

At the beginning of February, Martin also released his latest single "elsie" - stream HERE.

A tribute to his hometown and childhood in Leicester (LC), Martin comments on the single ‘elsie’: “I always wanted to write a song about my life in Leicester. Not like a love song as such, but reflecting on it all”. Martin continues: “There’s a lyric in an Ethan Gruska song ‘The Valley’ that I love; ‘if childhood defines you, can it ever be behind you?’ I wanted to take that idea and run with it. I am who I am because of that era of my life and it’s been nearly 10 years since I left”.

Awash with a palpable feeling of nostalgia and bittersweet reflection, Martin deals unapologetically with themes of love, loss and belonging; his potent lyricism delivered with a characterful, unfussy vocal and a sound that is defined by the intrinsic sense of fun he injects into the writing process and genuine sentimentality. This is particularly evident on ‘elsie’. Martin comments,ì: “This was the first song from the album project that I wrote, and it really set the tone in terms of theme - that reflective, nostalgic mood really felt correct for where I’m at now in my life”.

A self taught multi instrumentalist since the age of 12, Martin grew up in Leicester, a cultural melting pot, which defined his formative years, before moving to London for University aged 19. Before the move, Martin weaved his way into East Midlands’ rich music scene and attracted support from BBC Introducing alongside artist friends such as Mahalia, Easylife, Saint Raymond. Once relocated in the capital, two years of gigging and writing, alongside his studies, lead to him leaving University after his debut single ‘Nostalgia’ landed him a major label record deal.

Martin comments: “Looking back, I wasn't ready for it back then. I've always believed in my ability as a musician - I know I'm capable, but becoming an artist and really owning what I AM has taken me a long time to get to grips with. I was so uncomfortable and out of my depth and that led to a lot of mental health struggles”.

In 2017, Martin decided to take an indefinite break from his artist project. He’d already begun working on other projects, and naturally transitioned into more of a collaborator - guiding other artists and helping them find their voice. In the five years since, MLB has had well over 100 released songs as either a co-writer or a producer, including songs with BTS, Lizzy McAlpine, Sam Tompkins, Dylan, Jacob Banks, Gavin James, Victoria Canal, James Smith, Greta Isaac, Orla Gartland, Sody, Jack Kane, and many more.

As the world would come to a standstill in early 2020, the daily rhythm of sessions; writing, recording and working with other artists stopped too. Martin comments: “I kept writing songs, but they weren’t really for anyone. It was just a fun way to pass time. I started to fall in love with music again away from the manic noisy treadmill that is the music industry. I started working more regularly with producer (an old friend from Leicester) Matt Zara, and we serendipitously happened upon this new sound. It felt right, everything just fell into place in a way I’d never experienced before”.

It was during this time Martin refined his artistry, leading to his new project. Returning now with a blissful, west coast inspired sound, ‘damn look at the view !’ is Martin’s debut album and one that marks a significant new era in both his musical career and life

On the album Martin comments: “When I listen through it, it all seems so uncomplicated. There’s not many chords, the lyrics are pretty much just stuff I would say on a day to day basis, the instrumentation is pretty much just guitar, bass, drums, piano with some soundscapes. It’s simple, but I can’t begin to explain how crazy the journey to arrive at that place was”. He continues: “I’ve been an artist for over 10 years now and I never truly felt like myself during any of it. I always aimed to be something more clever, more boundary-pushing, more brilliant than I am, and it always left me feeling like I just wasn’t good enough to pull off what I was aiming to achieve".

Martin believes making this album has been one of the most defining periods of his life. He started therapy back in 2022 when the world shut down and this project started piecing itself together simultaneously. “It has been the ultimate catharsis - returning to the beginning and falling in love with music all over again, re-discovering a sense of childlike wonder but with an appreciation that only pain, time and forgiveness provides” he comments: “I feel like I’m in a pretty sweet spot right now, I’m working on some exciting new projects (Dylan, Sam Tompkins, Sam Ryder) - continuing to co-exist and work alongside some of my best friends and inspirations (Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, Dodie, James Smith), and beginning to ease back into life as an artist and not just in the background”. He concludes: “I guess the overarching themes on the album are around childhood, nostalgia, mental health - all the big stuff really. Each song is like a journal entry of a specific time in my life - and it gets pretty deep at times - but ultimately the feeling I want to evoke is that life really can be simple and we should squeeze the juice out of every moment".