Album Review: Martha O'Brien - Breathing Wrong

 

. As a species, we've become so numb to the extremity and dangers of the modern world, that we find it difficult to tune into the beauty that is often parading itself. Paralysis engulfs and nuance is something to be ignored. Of course, it's been designed that way; George Orwell's Soma for the internet age. Social Media models are designed to replicate Fruit Machines to keep you moving as fast as possible and to find something that ultimately you'll pay for. As Alan Bennett once observed "The official line is that we're all customers now". 

We don't look deeper than the surface, we don't listen beyond the hook and we don't think about what those words could actually mean. Yes, I am aware of the irony of writing those words on a blog, but had I not been approximately 173 years old, I could have done a Tik Tok video so..

A talented songwriter can make you tune into their world, listen to the nuances and cling to their every carefully-chosen word, without having to appeal to the "Don't bore us, get to the chorus" sentiments of modern listening habits. Martha O'Brien is becoming a very strong candidate to have all those rudiments in place. 

Breathing Wrong is her debut album and is new territory for Martha, following the release of 2024's Caution, Horses! E.P. That particular release was a sparse collection of mostly acoustic songs that O'Brien wrote over a two year period; a period that had her reflecting on young womanhood and the challenges therein. The new release builds on that, but this time round - after attention from the likes of BBC Introducing and slots at Green Man and FOCUS Wales festivals - Breathing Wrong is a more confident group of compositions that allows Martha's talent to be showcased in increased levels of artistic acumen.

Take opener 'New Quay' for example, which starts with the instant pull-in of a line, that allows you into her world almost from the get go:

In the seat, where Dylan Thomas made me sad..

The struggles of the Welsh poet echoing through time and finding an empathetic soul in 2026 Cardiff. As the track builds, the words get almost more direct from the heart. O'Brien talks of procrastination, self esteem and change in two beautifully constructed lines:

Instead of work, I mostly waste my time

counting the syllables in the circumference of my waistline

The finger picking on the guitar is as delicate and fragile as the imagery being created and the internal monologue shared. This could be a diary post or a confession to a friend or the start of a short story, and therein lies the strength of the writing.

                                            

 'You Don't Start Like This' talks of the the conditioning we experience from infancy; nature and nurture at conflict and causing change - not always for the better. Unlike 'New Quay', the intro is allowed to build and take its time, a simple acoustic pattern punctuated by her brother Kieran's Laurel Canyon style guitar backing. This increased depth allows you to get lost in it, dreaming of idyllic Welsh coastlines as the rain draws in from the Irish Sea. O'Brien's words soon draw you back to tuning in as a sweeping chorus is proceeded by:

Now I sit in my room just like this

The very same way I came into the world

I was screaming, I was screaming

The song may have not starting like it, but it ends with a reprise of Kieran's chiming guitar tone as Martha laments on the Pavlovian nature of existence with stunning effect. 

Later in the album, O'Brien visits a similar theme in 'Before I Knew It Did'. Trying to make sense of young adulthood and loss with a typically poignant line that lands with as much intensity as anything Paul Simon wrote:

I exist in the space between after it happened, and before I knew it did. 

There are moments in life where the mundane sometimes seems profound, where the actions and words of others can change perceptions in a split second. Martha O'Brien is adept at mining the nuances of these moments, turning them into snapshots of a brief moment in time. This is showcased most effectively in the two singles released prior to the album. 'In The Name of The Law'  was the lead single and is arguably the best example of a more rounded, full band sound bearing fruit the most. It also has the most fully formed chorus on the whole album, with O'Brien trying to derail an awkward interaction:

 If you want me to hold your hand, you've got to put them where I can see.

Drop the weapon, step away from the vehicle - you haven't got to answer to me.

The title track of Breathing Wrong sees O'Brien pondering some advice she received at a party. It's that moment where unsolicited advice almost sounds like an insult and it can be taken that way if you're not in the right mood:

Some girl at a party said I'm breathing wrong.

She can hear me gasping in the middle of my songs.

Such a simple and, probably well-meaning statement leads to O'Brien contemplating the very nature of life itself and that nuance is mined so effectively again:

I didn't know that there could be a right way to breathe

As the album comes into the home straight, the tracks wonder along and make less of an impact, but that is testament to what has come before more than questioning their individual qualities. For example, 'The Tunnel' and 'Bursting' would be both be excellent songs outside of the context of the album - perhaps as individual stand-alone tracks or on an E.P - but they sound a little lost surrounded by better, more developed examples of her work. You set the bar high, and sometimes you can't jump that height every time. 

Dodgy High Jump metaphors aside for one moment; closing track 'Waiting' ends the album with a resounding and almost unexpected flourish. This particular track proves that O'Brien has not only improved her writing and broadened the sound of her songs, but also the clarity of her voice. There's an authority and confidence here now. The production also elevates it here; the guitar sounding fiery and swirling from right to left channel as O' Brien croons: 

I am still waiting for the revolution to come.

 

Breathing Wrong is an album that sees Martha O'Brien finding the profound in the mundane and using her literary strengths to tune into the nuances of life. Her voice is coming into its own and the lyrics are perceptive, sometimes funny, self deprecating and deeply thought out. The talent is obvious and the move to a fuller band sound for the majority of the album a resounding success. 

If this is breathing wrong, then maybe there never has been a right way to breathe.