Smoking Martha

In Deep

Charismatic Aussie rockers make their mark.

Australian fivepiece Smoking Martha are following something of an unorthodox career path for a 21st-century rock’n’roll band. Rather than sharing endless tracks online, they’ve spent the past five years building a live following, old-school-style, and only now have they got round to releasing their debut album. Okay, actually it came out last year in Oz, but the European version adds their 2014 debut EP to the package.

Their sound has evolved since then, building on that traditional riff-rock template, with Tasha D’s increasingly distinctive, dramatic vocals and a pronounced melodic sweep on tracks like Baby Let Me Go offering echoes of symphonic metal. Hardhitting lyrics about jealousy, seduction and depression also help paint a picture of a band carving out a clear identity in a crowded marketplace.