The Martyr On the Making Of “Star 67”
Punk Head: With each member writing their own instrument parts, did you ever surprise each other during the writing process?
The Martyr: We’ve all played together for so long that I wouldn’t say we ‘surprise’ each other anymore- we trust each others’ writing and know we always come up with something incredible with each song we write. But I specifically have to commend our bassist Mike- there’s a guitar riff that comes in halfway through the choruses that he matches perfectly, adding so much depth to that moment, and that definitely “wow’ed” me a bit while recording his bass track.
Punk Head: This single blends dark, atmospheric emo elements with the intensity of hardstyle and electronic influences. What inspired you to push so far in that direction?
The Martyr: Myself, our singer Gia, and our drummer Tas have always been fans of metal bands that include electronic elements in their music, such as Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, and AFI. Within the past two years, we’ve all explored more purely electronic-based music in our personal listening. I’ve been obsessed with the music of breakout artist 2hollis, who I directly credit for the hardstyle influence on ‘Strangers,’ and in the past year I’ve also discovered new artists such as Snow Strippers and Jane Remover whose music and production styles have definitely influenced my own. We’ve dabbled with electronic production on past projects, specifically on our 2019 EP “New Ends,” but the singles we released this year along with “Star 67” are where we truly embrace it as part of our sound. I feel as if there’s been a surge of electronic influence in underground and mainstream music within the past two years, so the inspiration partly also comes from being connected to this new zeitgeist.
Punk Head: “Star 67” has such a striking concept — hiding your identity from someone you used to love. How did that metaphor evolve into the structure and sound of the track?
The Martyr: I think the structure and sound of the track influenced that metaphor- instrumental music has always come first in our writing. The density of the guitar and synth layers creates a sonic environment that I best visualize as a person walking alone in a cold forest, as alone as can be- this influences the idea of someone despite being perceived as a cool, “life of the party” type, still feeling alone and lost in their day-to-day life. The relentless, fast-paced energy of the track and chaotic layering of harmonies and textures inspired the theme of turmoil someone feels when they’re overworked and burnt out to the point of losing their sense of self.
Punk Head: You approached the two songs in very different ways. One as an electronic beat, the other like a chopped-up hip-hop production. What did you discover about yourselves as producers during that process?
The Martyr: One of the most significant revelations that we had when practicing the song for the first few times is that ‘Star 67’ is essentially an advanced, more evolved version of a past song of ours called ‘Bite.’ The production path we took on this single also proved to us that we can create a “signature sound,” and that now we have the blueprint to move forward with it on future releases. I’m also a big hip-hop fan; I’ve been making and producing hip-hop beats for as long as this band has existed. This single showed me that I don’t need to produce a metal song like any other band would- I can treat songs like a hip-hop beat and still make them hit just as hard, if not even harder. Whereas ‘Bite’ was also fast, coincidentally written in the same key, and had those hip-hop influences, ‘Star 67’ features more mature writing in all those aspects as the band has grown collectively as musicians and as people.
Punk Head: The quote “If we’re down, we’re actually up” feels like a band mantra. What does that mean to you creatively and emotionally?
The Martyr: That’s interesting to note because it was actually quoted by someone not in the band! Producer, frequent collaborator, and my longtime friend Nick said that during our first session with this song. What it means to me is that if we’re ‘down’ to take experimental risks and try unorthodox things with our sound, we put ourselves ‘up,’ meaning ahead of the curve musically and artistically, which is exactly where I want this group to be.
“Star 67” is coming out on December 12th, 2025.
