Scottish solo artist Martin Mullady is known for his spirited rock sound inspired by the likes of Green Day, Foo Fighters, and Stereophonics. Since his debut in 2022, he has garnered support from Scottish and national radio and headlined at renowned venues across the UK.
This month saw the release of his latest single, Holding On.
The first striking thing about this single is the artwork; a stunningly illustrated Day of the Dead figure holds a flame to her face, illuminating her thousand-mile glare that knows all your secrets. It has a pop-punk feel that reflects the track, which instantly springs into action.
An overdriven chord progression accompanied by high-power drums kicks things off. It’s a short but vigorous intro, necessary as the song is just over two-and-a-half minutes long.
When the verse starts, the guitar steps back to make way for the bassline of root notes, which chugs underneath Mullady’s catchy melodic vocals. His voice is clean and tight but has imperfections that lend itself to the genre. The overall mix is well-balanced, leaving none of the instrumentals fighting for command.
The chorus is where we feel the full scope of Mullady’s influences as the chordal progressions exert all their energy with the relief of accenting drum fills and riffs. The arrangement is intense but not too much, again emphasising Mullady’s refinement skills.
There’s really not much to fault about this tune; the lyrics are sometimes hard to hear, but that doesn’t take away from the overall experience. Holding On is a simple, joyous burst of rocking energy.
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