Q&A with Bassist Ricky Andres from The Last Martyr

Melbourne’s The Last Martyr have recently dropped a brand new single titled “Sugar” being their first release of the year. Fully packed with a heavy as fuck soundscape and gut-wrenching screams, this track will have you on your knees praying for more. We got to do a little Q&A with bassist Ricky Andres which you can read below.

Tell us a little about your music background. What was the main reason you decided you wanted to pursue it?

Growing up in a Colombian family, Latin music has played a heavy influence in my writing and interest in various genres. My grandfather started teaching me guitar from a very young age and I picked up other instruments along the way. I was briefly trained as a classical guitarist but leant into the more contemporary sounds. 
My parents weren’t too happy when he bought me an electric guitar and the rest was history! I soon discovered my love for electronic production and music that heavily rely on it (house, techno, Hip Hop, breakbeats etc). I’m also a massive fan of pop music, specifically the mid/late 90’s - early/mid 00’s. I know it’s a bit of an eye roll when people say “I like all music” but I feel that is quite accurate for myself. With the ability to be inspired from an array of sounds, it has allowed me to think outside of the box and to push the boundaries of genres and music.
I have always known that pursuing a career in music, no matter the capacity, was on the cards. There was a brief moment in time where I thought I needed to do something else but that was very short lived. Music is always something I get called back to- it's my meditation, my therapy, my catharsis. 

Talk us through the creative process of your brand new track “Sugar”.

Like many of our tracks, they never end up where we thought it would go and “Sugar” went simultaneously heavier and more pop at the same time! The song was developed from a demo that Ben brought in and it became the lead riff of the song. Throughout the process of our last EP “Purgatory”, we have collectively become better at songwriting, so “Sugar” was the first time we had input from the whole band. A lot of the construction and piecing of the puzzle came about in the studio and our producer Chris Lalic (Windwaker) worked his magic on the track. 

What are your favorite lyrics from the track and why?

“I’m dead inside but I’m doing pretty great” - I mean mood, right?

Things have really been happening for you guys lately, what is something you're most looking forward to whether it be playing a certain show, writing, etc.
A lot of the things on my bucket list have already been ticked off this year (which is wild)! Unify was definitely one of them and just recently, Bigsound. We also have the rest of the Sunk Loto tour as well as some other smaller format festivals towards the end of the year. (Froth & Fury, Scorched Fest and In Peril Fest) I love playing live but I loooooove writing new music and being in the studio. Hoping to get back in there really soon, I have so many demos in my hard-drive staring at me in the face LOL!

Are you happy with the reaction of “Sugar” from fans and what is something that you hope people get from listening to the track?
Definitely! The response has been both validating and humbling. Lyrically we hope that the themes resonate with the audience and sonically we hope it showcases another side of TLM.

What are your goals for the future? - Where do you hope The Last Martyr will be in 5 years time?

In future we hope to keep releasing more music and playing more shows. We’ve had a small taste of what touring would be like, so we hope that in 5 years time we would have turned it up to 11 and are on some sick international tours! Till then, we’ll keep striving and pushing forward.