Martha Hill is one of the finest singer-songwriters in Newcastle, right? Wrong! She’s one of the finest singer-songwriters in the UK. Evidence? Her new album. I’ve had it on repeat.

And that album is ‘Tether’. Apparently it was written in conjunction with her neighbour, Jodie Cooke—who, like Martha Hill, is also a new parent. Consequently, it’s a release imbued with the joys to be found in parenthood, and how a new life should be celebrated. But during the writing process, Hill’s childhood best friend suddenly died, and so we also get meditations on loss and grief. And it’s this tension, this examination of the fragility of what existence actually is, that gives the album such power. Nothing is ever set in stone, time twists like a Möbius strip, we are up, we are down, we move through a world that has given us so much, but can also take so much away. Life. Sonically, Hill has pushed herself in a melodic, indie-folk direction, but these songs—which were recorded in the homes of both Hill and Cooke—have a real and raw immediacy about them that hits you bang in the solar plexus. ‘Tether’ is due to be released on 4 September before Hill sets out on tour, a tour which will see her playing The Grove in Newcastle on 2 October. DP

Seek: instagram.com/marthahillmusic and facebook.com/marthahillmusic