Peter Martin - Forgotten Again (2025) Hi-Res

Peter Martin is a folk/alt artist from Brighton, whose main ally is his nylon string guitar. He and his band have grown their fanbase with gigs in his native Brighton and the capital. His debut album, Forgotten Again, is brimming with emotive, layered and rhythmic sounds.

The opener, ‘Flamingo’, begins with a lush guitar, which is key to the album. The lyrics: “Why don’t you dance? Everyone loves you from a distance” is a fine example of the thought-provoking songwriting which can be found throughout.

One of Peter Martin’s skills as an artist is changing the mood of a song. Just as he takes the listener on one wistful journey, he’ll then take them elsewhere. ’20 Days Walk’, which is my personal favourite, has a lovely tempo and is defined by its chords and effects. Martin and his band love to utilise sound design and delicate production techniques. It’s not all delicate, though. Halfway through ‘Sleepwalking’, things become grungy and moody. It could have come off Blur’s 1999 album 13. Martin really knows how to flip a song on its head. This is an edgy and exciting quality for an artist to have.

There is a really positive vibe to the track ‘Ostrich Moment’. It is full of sweet scratchy guitars and is gorgeous once that piano comes in.“The endless possibilities are lapping at our feet as our all-consuming selves do somersaults” is another absorbing lyric. It’s pretty obvious that he puts a lot of effort into his songwriting.

‘Interlude’ is a lovely and engaging instrumental. It’s so intimate that you can even hear Martin’s breath on the track. Then, he brings in a full choir to do backing vocals on ‘Boris’s Remorse’. The ending is almost McCartney-esque. The song features a delightful vocal from Martin and reaches an alluring climax.

The acoustic beauty of this album carries on with ‘Meaningless Word’. It contains another captivating lyric in: “I’d like to speak but I’ve got a list of words I don’t like to say”. The production on this one is fantastic, but Martin’s piano playing on this album shouldn’t get overshadowed by the elegance of his acoustic guitar – ‘Other People’s Dreams’ contains gorgeous keys.

The most imaginative songwriting on the album can be found on ‘For A Lemon’ – “Don’t be so straight in the morning, keep it light and keep it moving. Maybe it sticks like spaghetti to the window”. ‘Trying To Break A Band’ is an honest yet amusing narrative of an artist trying to make it in the industry. This gentle, well-made record is concluded with the delicate ‘Blueberries’ with its meandering chords and strings.

Peter Martin has crafted a beautiful acoustic album, packed with lovely melodies and chord changes. His lyrics are clever and whimsical, and his guitar playing is immense. He has a fine band, all splendid musicians who back him beautifully. I will get around to playing this album and listening with my eyes tightly closed – this will give an already ambient album added atmosphere.