Half Captain is the musical outlet for singer songwriter Martin Burt. Based in Devon, UK, with roots in Lancashire, Half Captain have been independently releasing their own music for the last 5 years. Martin writes, performs, records and produces all the tracks himself from his home studio - including the artwork on all releases.
Describing Half Captain's music Martin says, "For me it's all about the melody. You can take a tune anywhere and sing it in your head. Pretty much all of the music I listen to has great melodies of some sort; then it's about trying to connect what you're writing so it might mean something to someone else just as much as me. I'm a proper muso though, with thousands and thousands of tracks!"
Half Captain's musical influences are artists such as The National, Doves, Elbow, Depeche Mode, Wilco, Editors, Del Amitri and Blossoms. More recently the likes of Ruston Kelly, Boygenius and Morgan Wade have been inspiration to the songwriting process for Half Captain.
In 2021 Half Captain's cover of the Doves track ‘The Last Broadcast’ was featured on the Lost Covers album, an album of Doves cover songs where all proceeds went to Mental Health UK. This project brought together artists from all over the world including New Zealand, Canada, and across the UK. Doves backed the project, promoting it's release on their own social media.Half Captain's track was well received by the public and the band themselves!
Recorded and released in the dying days of the summer and at only 3 minutes long, just like the British summer, it's almost over before it's begun! But 3 minutes is all Half Captain needs to plant an ear worm that will be playing all day long in your head.
In The Firing Line is Half Captain's first EP to be released, and features a mix of eclectic electronic synths blended with guitars to create a dark and brooding late night soundtrack. Recorded and produced entirely in his home studio these latest tracks explore grown up themes juxtaposed to melodic hooks.
