Martyrs Light Up the ‘Night Shift’ With Genre-Bending Fire

Welcome to the Night Shift. The latest single from Martyrs – the fiercely independent Welsh duo of Jon and Michael – arrives with a searing blend of melodic power and metallic swagger. Officially released on 2nd April 2025, the track is a thrilling new chapter in the pair’s wildly unpredictable sonic journey.

Coming hot on the heels of their flamenco-tinged indie diversion Pin Blue Sometime, Night Shift is a sharp pivot once more – a fiery slab of anthemic, genre-warping rock that fizzes with raw energy and relentless imagination. Available as a Free Bandcamp Exclusive 3-track maxi-single, alongside the usual suspects on streaming platforms, it’s a release that once again proves Martyrs’ refusal to play by the rules.

“A wild combo platter of disparate styles and ideas that really shouldn’t work…but it does. It really does,” writes Ether Diver – and they’re not wrong. What begins as a thunderous homage to ‘90s alt heavyweights like Soundgarden and Faith No More quickly mutates into something altogether more eccentric and electrifying. Chant-along choruses collide with handclaps and retro rock ‘n’ roll refrains, all laced together by a keen melodic sensibility and undercut by a certain workplace dread – no doubt pulled from Jon and Michael’s own brushes with soul-sapping jobs.

As God Is In The TV Zine succinctly puts it: “Haunting, melodic, anthemic… beautiful.” There’s a strange magic at work here – one that only Martyrs seem to possess.

Formed in Merthyr Tydfil as teenagers, Jon and Michael have never been content to sit still musically. Self-confessed genre agnostics, their back catalogue ricochets between lo-fi electronica, melancholy indie, yacht rock and unfiltered ‘90s alt, sometimes within a single track. Their influences are just as wide-ranging – from Khruangbin to Christopher Cross, Richard Dawson to Aphex Twin, Iron Maiden to Amadou & Mariam, and yes, even 1980s pro wrestling entrance music. Giallo films, VHS tapes, Dylan Thomas, and cold brew coffee also get a nod in their creative cauldron.

The result? Music that’s as personal as it is cinematic, as idiosyncratic as it is emotionally resonant. Their 2024 album Luminism was a word-of-mouth success, selling out physical copies and clocking over 100,000 streams, thanks in no small part to grassroots support from local radio and indie blogs. Their last single Pin Blue Sometime was featured as track of the week by multiple outlets including Thomathy Entertainment and The Indy Review, and Night Shift looks set to continue the momentum.

Entirely DIY in ethos, Martyrs write, record, produce, and release everything from the confines of their own kitchens. Music videos, t-shirt designs, even press releases (yes, including this one) are handled entirely by the duo themselves. Much of their music is given away for free; proceeds from the rest go to charities close to their hearts. It’s an approach that has garnered them both admiration and affection across the independent music landscape.

Their third single in a planned series of ten – with an as-yet unrelated album possibly lurking on the horizon – Night Shift is yet another shining example of Martyrs’ refusal to conform. 

The night shift has started – and with Martyrs on duty, you won’t want to clock out.