We’re delighted to present the video premiere of ‘Iron Age Daydream’ by Martha Rose. It is a film by CV Vision. The music video was made in Bavaria in the Midsummer heat and follows a ghost-like Martha searching for ancient shrines and secret places…

A maiden makes her way through life and just like every living creature, she meets death.

The single is released today and is taken from new album ‘Undress & Dive After’ which is released tomorrow, July 31st, on Treibender Teppich Records.

In ‘Iron Age Daydream’ we see a metaphysical expansion of an emotional universe into a collection of visions.
“Fine to be alone, naked underneath my clothes”, the voice laconically explores and combines memories of awkward holiday plans, infuriating day jobs, the taste of blood in wounds that don’t hurt anymore, the imagined collective memory of ancient civilisations, jars of unborn embryos in the natural history museum, and the fantastical worlds of E.T.A Hoffmann and Georges Bataille. It ends back where it started – with rolling, foaming milk, and daydreams of burning seas.”
Recorded in Miami Nice Studios with Martha Rose on Casio Keyboard & voice, Dandy Deniz on Magic Synth and bass synth, and Garagen Uwe on drum machine.

We got the chance to ask Martha a few questions ahead of the release.

Martha Rose

Do you consciously have a “signature sound” you feel defines a Martha Rose song?

I think it’s more of a signature feeling, like the way the melody flows or the way the lyrics are. I’ve been pretty open with sounds, I like the Casio a lot for writing, but it doesn’t always end up featuring prominently in the finished song.

How did the creation of ‘Undress & Dive After’ differ from the creation of your debut?

My debut was mostly made by me and my friend Thomas in his attic bedroom surrounded by pigeons. He’s an amazing producer, and I was very naive and new to the world of making an album. ‘Undress & Dive After’ feels more conceptual and considered from my side. We took a longer time to make it, but it also felt like the ideas and aesthetics were clear from the start. With the help and creativity of my bandmates it really expanded too. It was produced in the early days of Miami Nice Studios, so we really grew as artists and producers together, which was a sweet experience.

What songs or artists were you listening to while writing the new album?

I like listening to a lot of different things, and it was written over a long time, so it’s hard to pinpoint. I think it was mainly stuff like Paul Hardcastle’s 80s grooves (which I am nowhere near close enough to mimicking), Shirley Collins, Sade, Patrick Cowley, a bit of Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron, Laurie Anderson, … I was also working in a bar with a really special selection of DJs the whole time. They inspired me a lot.

How has the current worldwide pandemic affected your plans?

I think the pandemic made everyone’s plans go a little awry. I’m just wondering what to do about the album release party now, and realising how different the world still looks. We decided to go ahead and release the album, because it felt wrong to pause or cancel that plan. We were meant to play End of the Road Festival this year, it was sad to realise we couldn’t – but I really hope it can take place next year.

Undress & Dive After Album Cover

Have you managed to play the songs from the new album to a live audience yet? Are you expecting to be able to tour?

We have only played the songs once as a live band, at a small festival in Berlin in September last year, called ‘No Kiddin’ festival. It was one of my favourite gigs ever! We were in the basement of a sports bar with hardly any lights and no monitors, but it felt so amazing to play our songs together for the first time after all that recording! We are filming a gig soon, but no touring plans at the moment. I’d love to go on tour again as soon as it’s possible though, it’s one of my favourite feelings in the world.

What was the inspiration behind the imagery in the ‘Iron Age Daydream’ video?

Iron Age Daydream is a very special song to me, brimming with images and fragments across history, time and space. I wanted to find an ancient and slightly surreal setting to make a kind of abstract visual accompaniment to it. I asked CV Vision to make the video. He is a fellow musician in Berlin, who works with video synthesis and VHS, and I knew he would be able to create this mood. We were inspired by Giallo movies, and the kind of chic menace which accompanies the mysterious death of a young maiden.

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