Tone Martel With Sounds Ranging From Melodic Ballads

With sounds ranging from the lyrical and melodic, retro-like-ballads of the 70’s to maudlin, singer- songwriter, acoustic driven tunes to even bittersweet pop hits, Tone Martel is a breath of fresh air. The 25 year olds’ music which he writes and produces with his smart phone and a bunch of thrift store instruments is both organic and electronic sounding at the same time. His lyrics which are almost exclusively bittersweet attack the concepts of life, love and loss often taking a cheeky approach towards self reflection and self-deprecation. With titles like “Gross” and “Life Sucks” you may get the wrong impression before you listen but each song is as genuine and as vulnerable as the last. If you’re a fan of DIY artists then you’re in luck because with only a few months of releases and 2 EP’s under his belt he has only just begun and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Tone who is from rural, small town Massachusetts in the United States has been writing music for years under many different monikers and projects, none of which were solely his own. Always contributing to projects belonging to friends or singing hooks for a collaboration he rarely got a chance to experiment on his own and find out what his sound would be. With 6 songs spanning across 2 EP’s you can almost hear this learning process unfold. This unexplored frontier of self-production lends itself to change nicely. Each of the EP’s is part of its own world and every song a different journey. He can first be heard taking the reins on his EP: “Is This Happiness?” an adventure from the first to the final song. When played in order the EP blends every song seamlessly into one another taking you on a journey with the songwriter. His voice while covered in effects is still so honest and organic you can’t help but to feel what he feels and trust that he’s being honest. With sounds looming in the background of each track including footsteps, closing doors and shaking dogs to aid the transition between songs you get a peek into the environment that inspired these songs a technique that follows him to his second EP “GROSS” which flaunts the sounds of the birds and various creatures that can be heard from the yard of his New England home.

In just the few months between these two releases you can hear the growth in production, technique and even instrumentality. His voice, while virtually raw compared to the first EP really comes to life “GROSS” which is also the name of the first track on the release. Being this way allows the emotion already conveyed in his lyrics to shine through while he croons lines such as:
“I don’t listen well it’s what I’m known for/ I’ve been busy trying to move us forward/ what’s someone to  do when they still love someone?/ I’ll do anything”

Of which can be heard sung to a melody that will stick in your head for weeks and harmonies too rich to swallow. Often posting acoustic videos on the internet you can see that his passion for music runs beyond just writing and production, he is also a performer. He can be seen taking the slow approach to some songs such as “Gross” and “Life Sucks” on his more recent acoustic sessions but he also boasts videos of unreleased tunes such as that of “Sadness Divine” a heartfelt take on some tribulations of depression. Although many of his songs are on the melancholy side of the spectrum don’t let that fool you; He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Evidence of this can be readily seen in his approach to music videos. Often disguising his videos as something else, Most Notably an audition tape for a made up Musical and  a demo reel to become a professional wrestler, for his songs “ill be around for you” and “GROSS” respectively. In these videos he can be seen tossing himself around, getting hurt and pulling stunts for his art.

As his music evolves you can expect to continue to hear an eclectic catalogue of content. His recently released single “Go for Gold” is inspired by the laid back aggression of indie rock and the struggle of being honest with yourself about your failures. This song, which is a bit more dark and electronic in tone than his previous releases will be followed by a Studio version of “Sadness Divine” an almost completely acoustic song. It’s clear that Tone Martel has a passion for music and lucky for us he’s got plenty of tunes to give.

1 comment:

  1. Tone Martel is awesome!!! Love his music!!! Wish someone would sign him!!!!!