Billie Marten - “God Above”
Photo by Katie Silvester
Yorkshire-based Billie Marten has just released her new album, Drop Cherries, and from it, we have received the folksy single, “God Above.”
For those of you unfamiliar with Marten’s work, “God Above” might just be the most perfect way to get to know her. The track starts off extremely raw, with just the strums of an acoustic guitar accompanied by a bass. Marten’s vocal quickly joins, untainted by modern production magic, as though she’s just entered the room, sat down, and delivered the lyrics. The performance is impeccable, and we are quite fond of how vintage it sounds, especially when she ascends into her airy falsetto.
At one minute into the track, our ears are greeted with drums and some very gratifying vocal harmonies– the song then completely changes lanes for the refrain, becoming one of the most gloriously upbeat folk songs we’ve ever heard in our entire lives. A string arrangement is deployed and we find ourselves wondering just how many people are in this band because the additional elements seem to know no bounds. But for us, the vocal harmonies alone are definitely worth the price of admission, as they are likely what will cause “God Above” to become a timeless classic.
If you like what you hear (and we know that you will), be sure to check out the rest of the LP, Drop Cherries, now available everywhere, including Spotify:
And Billie Marten’s ambition does not end with this record! She’s soon to embark upon a US tour and has also just released Drop Cherries: The Film, which was directed by Joe Wheatley and performed live, in one take with the musicians from the album:
Here are those tour dates:
-TM