Earlier this year, Young Martyrs released the first single from their upcoming, third studio album, Might Just Be Enough. The single, titled Is There Anybody Out There?, made waves in Bristol’s indie music scene – an anthemic track about the human desire for connection, with lead singer Rich Beeby stating that the track is about “feelings of isolation, loneliness and the more difficult states of wellbeing that we sometimes feel”.
Now, Young Martyrs are back with their second single, Sugar on my Tongue. The newest track is as exciting as the first, and covers themes such as unspoken attraction and silent longing. It’s one of the three songs Beeby wrote for the album, and the lyrics are “anchored in lived experiences”. The track is reminiscent of The Killers, with themes of yearning and pining mixed with an almost Americana-esque sound that make it feel overall completely timeless.
Sugar on my Tongue was recorded at Bath’s Real World Studios, which was founded by Peter Gabriel in the 1980s. According to Beeby, recording there was “a privilege” as the studio “pulls off the trick of being a recording Mecca whilst also feeling homely”. This seeps into the newest track in many ways, which sounds both comfortingly familiar and entirely fresh, seeing as its subject matter is something most people can relate to, in some way.
With the new track comes a brand-new music video. Filmed in Bristol (drummer Lee’s hometown), the video depicts two people’s seemingly unrequited (but requited, really) interest in one another – all set primarily in the takeaway shop they work in together. The video is entertaining and beautifully shot, and creates a real sense of relatability; who hasn’t had a crush on a coworker before?
This is where the band thrives – in bringing life and musicality to everyday scenarios and feelings that are practically universal, while maintaining the seemingly delicate and personal nature of said feelings.
Young Martyrs – whose name comes from a painting of the same name by Paul Delaroche – started out in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, although the majority of the members had worked together in some form prior. Since then, the band have come out with two full-length albums, with Might Just Be Enough set to be released this summer.
Inspired by an eclectic mix of artists – from ABBA to Stevie Wonder, from Aerosmith to The Rolling Stones – the band have curated a sound that is captivating and unique. According to Beeby, the alternative-Americana vibe they have managed to capture “happened pretty naturally” as a result of their most prolific lyricist, Tom Corneill’s, real “troubadour style”.
If you haven’t checked out Young Martyrs yet, now’s the time. Their upcoming release, according to the band, fits well within their existing discography, and is “recognisably Young Martyrs” with all of their “best aspects”. Having heard their most recent releases, we’re inclined to agree!
To chat more about their release, WAX sat down with the band for a chat.
Where does the name Young Martyrs come from?
Many years ago Tom saw a painting called the Young Martyr by Paul Delaroche (at The Louvre I think), which is extremely eerie, beautiful, mysterious and open to interpretation, and it stuck with him. When we formed he took this inspiration and Young Martyrs just felt right for this band.
How long have you all been working together? And how long have you all been making music?
So the band was formed in mid 2020 during the pandemic, with Tom and I having been in a band called Centrefolds for a few years beforehand. Lee had been gigging with Tom at a similar time when Tom was also performing as a solo artist, and I (Rich) actually joined them on stage a couple of times back in the day! Phil Smith is our newest member, on bass, and his and Tom’s musical relationship is actually the longest of us all, having also been in Centrefolds and meeting at university. We’ve all been making music for so long – I started on piano as a 6 year old, so it’s been a while!
So last month you released Is There Anybody Out There? which is the debut single from your upcoming album — what’s the story behind that song?
Tom wrote this song, and its origins date back a few years. It’s about the feelings of isolation, loneliness and the more difficult states of wellbeing that we sometimes feel, and how those feelings can make us crave connection. Being able to make sense of our feelings by sharing them is usually a good idea, and the song is about feeling that need. The video is spectacular, being set in space, which really works well for the message.
The newest track Sugar on my Tongue is the second single to be released from your upcoming album — what is the process for deciding which songs become singles?
We’re really proud of every song on the forthcoming album, but we all agree that the singles need to be the songs that are most likely to get radio and playlisting attention. Songs with hooks and a certain memorable energy tend to be those that emerge as singles. That said, literally every song on this album was discussed as a contender, so maybe we’ve written the 2026 Thriller!?!
How long did it take for this track to come together?
This was one of the three songs I wrote for the album. I’m far less prolific than Tom, but when I write I generally come up with all of the arrangement and parts at the demo stage, and then present it to the band in a finished form. This one came about pretty quickly by my standards – the core ideas came together over a couple of days, but the arrangement details and final lyrics took a few weeks to fully land.
You’ve said that Sugar on my Tongue is about unspoken attraction and longing — do you tend to take inspiration from lived experiences or are your lyrics typically fictitious?
I’d wager that pretty much every song ever written about human feelings or relationships is anchored in the writer’s lived experiences, even if the context or setting might not be real. So yeah, the core of a song tends to be real, though artistic license definitely plays a part in translating that into something that hopefully resonates with an audience.
How would you say it fits in with the rest of the album?
This album probably has more songs with a higher energy than our previous records, so it fits well in that company. We certainly do have very delicate and exposed songs too, which we’re excited for people to hear. Lyrically, all of the songs have heavy human themes, as always with us, so the album feels very cohesive and we’re really excited about it being released to the world!
You recorded the new album at Real World Studios, which was founded by Peter Gabriel in the 80s. Some amazing artists have recorded there over the years – how did it feel recording there?
Oh it’s incredible – such a privilege. Real World pulls off the neatest trick by simultaneously being a recording mecca whilst also feeling homely, calm and entirely run to allow musicians to be at their best. The team there are wonderful.
Did you take inspiration from any of the artists that have recorded there?
I think the inspiration was more from the studio itself. Just knowing you’re tracking in the same place as so many greats brings a level of focus and even a sense of responsibility to do justice to the environment, and to the songs we’ve worked so hard on.
On a broader note, who are some other artists that have inspired you?
My influences are broad, but I’ve definitely taken great inspiration from artists who write music that’s full of melody and singalongability, but without dumbing things down musically or lyrically. Stevie Wonder and Abba are two great examples of that, but in a more rock/indie world I’d include Aerosmith, The Killers, Supergrass, Foo Fighters, mid-era Bon Jovi and The Stones. Our influences within the band overlap a lot but not entirely, and that’s been a great thing for us.
You have a sort of alternative-Americana sound, was that something that you consciously sought out or did that happen naturally?
I think it happened pretty naturally. Tom wrote all of the band’s early songs, and is still the most prolific writer, and he’s got a real troubadour style. So when the rest of the band colours that in it naturally ends up sounding quite rootsy. We also all enjoy singing and so using harmonies a lot has probably resonated with an Americana audience. We’ve gradually broadened our sound over the years and definitely still sound like the same band, but we’re now touching on a bigger sound with some more epic moments.
What can we expect from the upcoming album?
We’re so excited about it. It’s got the biggest sound we’ve yet captured on record. We think we’ve got more big memorable choruses and the songs are generally slightly more incisive. But we’ll always have the tender and exposed moments too – if anything these maybe feel more vulnerable in the company of the bigger sounding songs. Lyrically, I can say that Tom has written some of the best stuff he’s ever written – full of all the key human stuff about love, death, heartbreak, reflection and lust, and hopefully my lyrics are keeping up too!
How would you say the upcoming album fits in with the rest of your discography?
It’s a great evolution. The band is still recognisably Young Martyrs but I think we’ve managed to distil a lot of the best aspects of our previous records here. We know what makes us sound at our best now, and we’ve leaned into that. So our existing fans will enjoy the new album, but hopefully we’ll make a lot of new fans too.
You guys are a Bristol-based band, how would you say living in a city like Bristol has influenced your work?
Lee (drummer) is our true Bristolian, with the rest of us originally interloping from Somerset, Devon and Essex, but Bristol has been an inspiring place for us. I think it’s biggest influence has been through the plethora of places to play live, and making us feel like there’s always another step up to make, to play to more people. Bands have to get pretty huge before they outgrow Bristol, so that’s a bit humbling, but ultimately inspiring too!
If you could play any venue, which venue would it be and why?
Well obviously apart from every venue in Bristol, I’d love to play the Hammersmith Apollo. I’ve been to so many memorable gigs there since my teens and it holds a really special place for me, so that would be beyond amazing.
//Words: Rosie Smith//