London-based alternative rock artist Marta Vega describes her music as “lesbian grunge soul”. Who am I to disagree? Marta’s new single ‘Bye’ clocks in at under 2 minutes and mashes together walls of sound, distorted vocals, and satisfyingly final voice mails to create a swirl and burst of energy. It mixes in glitchy elements that force the chunky drums and caustic guitars to sound like someone’s ripping up a vinyl of the single. It’s all timed beautifully, with early 2010s playground backing vocals, and reminds me subtly of the fantastic New Zealand band Tadpole, who had a DJ scratching their rock guitars for their debut album.
Speaking about the track ‘Bye’, Marta says:
“‘Bye’ was written in just a few hours, and it really captured the emotions I was living through in that moment — the anger, the sense of loss, but also the urge to break free. I actually wrote the lyrics when I was in the bathroom at the studio, just scribbling down what I was feeling. My grandma had just passed away, and it almost felt like a spiritual power was guiding me in the writing that day.
At the time I was listening to a lot of Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, and that definitely influenced the way I delivered the vocals — raw, direct, almost like letting the words spill out. The post-punk drums gave it this restless drive, and together Bye’ felt like unlocking something mysterious that had always been inside me.”
The single is out this weekend, with various live dates across London and the UK coming up over the next few months. I’m looking forward to hearing more, as whilst there are definitely pop elements to the music, there is a raw undercurrent that drags you far deeper into the mix, and that makes Marta’s music feel alive. To keep up to date with the latest releases, visit Marta Vega’s website.
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