Martha & The Muffins – Echo Beach

Released in 1980 as a single from the debut album Metro Music, Martha & The Muffins’ “Echo Beach” is one of the most evocative songs of the early new wave era. Written by guitarist Mark Gane and produced by Mike Howlett, the track combines an insistent guitar riff, shimmering keyboards, melodic bass and an atmospheric saxophone part with Martha Johnson’s cool, understated vocal.

The song contrasts the monotony of a nine-to-five office job with the imagined freedom of Echo Beach, a place associated with summer evenings, solitude and escape. Gane wrote it after working in a wallpaper factory, drawing on the boredom of everyday employment and his longing for somewhere more inspiring. Although the lyrics are nostalgic, the music has an energetic, slightly restless quality that keeps the song from becoming purely wistful.

The recording developed significantly during production. Howlett suggested bringing the memorable guitar hook back into the middle of the song, giving the arrangement greater impact. The track also features an unconventional structure, with no conventional chorus until the closing section, where Johnson repeatedly sings the title phrase.

With its hypnotic rhythm, distinctive instrumentation and vivid sense of escapism, “Echo Beach” remains a defining Canadian new wave recording and a beautifully atmospheric snapshot of the beginning of the Eighties.

The song peaked at No. 10 in the UK charts on 29th March 1980.