"Simultaneously sad, silly, and profoundly human—this is Martin Luke Brown at his absolute best."

W: Mickey Jouls I: Dana Trippe

Following the critical success of last year’s sophomore album man oh man !, Martin Luke Brown returns with ‘back of my mind,’ a track that feels like a beautifully dusty excavation of the soul. Released via Bright Antenna Records and created alongside Grammy-winning producer Matt Zara, the single finds Brown leaning into a "cracked-out country" aesthetic that perfectly bridges the gap between 60s nostalgia and modern indie-soul. It is a sonic shift that feels both intentional and effortless, swapping high-gloss production for janky-yet-tender soundscapes and twangy guitar trills that anchor the song in a warm, psych-textured reality.

The track functions as a "personal archaeology," digging through the emotional clutter we accumulate as we age—the old cinema tickets, the scribbled journal entries, and the lingering presence of people who were once the center of our world. Brown’s lo-fi vocals carry a lived-in quality, delivering lyrics that balance the weight of grief with a whimsical, almost silly sense of humor. It’s this specific tension—the ability to be profoundly human while embracing life’s inherent absurdities—that has become Brown’s artistic signature. He manages to turn a song about the ghosts of past relationships into a pop earworm that feels more like a celebration of memory than a mourning of loss.

Visually and contextually, the release is just as curated, featuring a characterful visualiser directed by Dana Trippe, known for her work with Tame Impala and Suki Waterhouse. Arriving just as Brown wraps up a major UK/EU tour with Madison Cunningham, including a milestone show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, ‘back of my mind’ marks a confident new chapter. By redefining the contours of his artistry through this "retro-fresh" lens, Martin Luke Brown proves he is not just a songwriter, but a chronicler of the bittersweet messiness of