AMY MARTIN

Southern-steeped and powerfully understated, Amy Martin’s songwriting stands sturdy against the Appalachian mountain range - a confident new voice in modern folk music, and not a moment too soon. In a genre ripe for uprising and subversive narratives, Martin’s stories are a welcome balm for the grieving, the outsiders, and the dreamers. Her newest effort, Bones [July 2026], showcases sharp wit, poetic spirit, and an evolving sound, mixing elements of southern gothic, indie-folk, and alt-country.

Formerly the vocalist of an alt-bluegrass ensemble in Harrisonburg, VA, Martin released a DIY self-titled project in 2020, the beginning of carving out a separate identity as a solo artist after nearly a decade in a collaborative project. After moving to Denver in 2021, she planted roots in the artistic community and crowdfunded her solo album, Travelin’ On [2023], produced by Old Crow Medicine Show member, Chance McCoy. This debut served to establish Martin as a forceful presence in Americana, with ballads, waltzes, and acoustic-driven pieces influenced by her string-instrument upbringing.

Rooted in reckoning, Bones offers a more mature and intense collection. “I’ve been chewing on the bones of Jesus, I wish I’d known to call it grief” immediately introduces the album’s central themes of grappling with loss and unresolved pain. This style of plain-spoken songwriting is well-suited to her lower register, rich with experience and understanding for the listener and singer alike. 

The track listing brings emotion and dynamic to the runtime, songs including “Give Me Hell” and “Under the Rubble” bring significant lift and intensity, while rife with religious imagery, and heavy commentary on war crimes overseas and in American streets. “When this earthly body’s done, lay me rest under a weeping willow that reads, ‘God Bless This Mess’” speaks to Martin’s desperation for change and empathy for suffering, lamenting an end to harm and complacency.

Although grunge and grit are in no short supply, there are intimately produced confessionals and ballads, creating a diverse listening experience and pointing to McCoy and Martin’s keen sensibilities for arrangement. “Writer’s Block” stands out as an apt depiction of the artistic struggle to create in a world seemingly inundated with violence, unrest, and a demand for endless commentary and content via social media. Poignant, relevant, and necessary.

Bones stands out as an impressive release, and a bold step forward for Amy Martin, a voice both aching with tenderness and unafraid to ask for more from the world around her. With unrelenting sweetness amid the tough questions, she delivers tenderness and heartache side by side, offering a stark honesty deeply needed now more than ever.