Martyrs: "Church Street" EP – A DIY Chronicle of Memory, Distance and Return

Martyrs are Jon Howells and Michael J Hall, a duo who first made music together in a high school band before splitting up and later reconnecting years afterwards to begin working together again. From that point they developed a strongly DIY approach that has defined their output ever since.

Their work includes two albums, Un Diavolo In Casa (2022) and Luminism (2024), alongside an ongoing series of ten EP releases. One of the most noted earlier entries in that series is October Kind. Their music resists easy categorisation, drawing influence from Japanese professional wrestling, R.E.M., Aphex Twin and Dario Argento, resulting in a shifting, unpredictable sound that sits outside typical algorithm-driven genres and has built them a small but very dedicated audience.

The latest release, The Church Street EP, is the seventh in that ongoing EP series. Released on 15 April, it focuses on small-town life, memory and distance, looking back at personal history through reflection and time. The songs are shaped by experiences and places in Wales, including Merthyr Tydfil, which forms part of the emotional backdrop to the record.

The EP was written, recorded and produced entirely by Jon and Michael themselves in informal home settings, with much of it made in kitchens and attic spaces. Each track also has its own self-made video created by the band. The process took close to two years, with Michael describing it as their most prolonged period of refinement. He explained that the songs were repeatedly revisited and adjusted because they were reluctant to release them before they felt complete. Jon joked that the process was slowed by Michael’s tendency to keep refining details, though both agree the final versions are among their strongest work.

The title track, Church Street, focuses on brief relationships that both people understand will not last, but which are still entered into fully. It is rooted in familiar streets from their past and carries a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional distance. Michael describes it as being about connections that are intense even when their end is already understood. Jon sees it as the emotional centre of the EP, highlighting its large arrangement and what he considers the strongest final chorus they have recorded.

He Breaks Horses is a more folk-influenced track built around acoustic guitar, brass and dramatic shifts in tone. It is based on the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and explores Welsh industrial history, working-class struggle and early trade union movements, including the raising of the Red Flag. Michael explains that the song required extensive research and careful attention to ensure the subject was treated with respect. Jon describes its arrangement as a combination of contrasting styles, including Western-inspired guitar, bass-driven groove, theatrical percussion and heavier rock elements.

Twist The Cap focuses on addiction, memory and emotional instability, moving through late-night reflection and shifting moods. Michael explains that earlier versions of the song swung between extremes of bleakness and optimism before they found a more balanced final form. Jon highlights the production, which blends lo-fi textures, analogue synthesis and live drumming, with layered sound design that moves between organic and electronic elements.

The Bandcamp edition of the EP includes additional material that expands on its themes. This includes a sound collage built from childhood memories, spoken word and field recordings, as well as a darker spoken word piece exploring insomnia and anxiety. It also includes an alternate version of Twist The Cap, showing how the track developed over time through repeated revision. The band have said they use Bandcamp deliberately to encourage ownership of music rather than disposable streaming, offering extra material to listeners who choose to engage more directly.

Overall, The Church Street EP continues Martyrs’ long-running approach to self-produced, genre-fluid music shaped by memory, place and emotional detail. It reflects a slow, careful, creative process and a commitment to making work on their own terms.