Track Review: Watch the Sun Burn Your Eyes // Martin Leary

Rough and heavy on the electric guitar, Martin Leary ‘s new single vibrates city lights and careless summer vibes. ‘Watch the Sun Burn Your Eyes’ sets an odd but welcome tone to the arrival of spring.

Disorienting, the track is a crass ensemble of “the frustrations of modern-day life,” as Leary explains. With the overwhelming presence of the pandemic, finding “real love” is just as uncertain as the end of lockdown. The lyrics go through these never-ending highs and lows, and Leary ponders dating apps while he’s at it: “To me, that filtered CV dating is brutal.”

Lyrical delivery is uneven; the words slip and slide out of time, and create a sense of whiplash from one line to the next. Use of second person dictates exactly the kind of thoughts listeners might have these days. The antagonizing relatability is a double-edged sword considering the state of the world; on the one hand, having someone voice these inner frustrations could be a much-needed release. However, escapism is arguably preferred over a reminder of dreary reality at the moment.

‘Watch the Sun Burn Your Eyes’ leaves us craving human touch and leads to a winding road of questions. When will all this be over, and will we ever get the pleasure of letting the sun burn our eyes once again? Just the title itself has layers of untapped metaphors and interpretation. It is, however, let down by awkward structure and wording. Still, the single remains a promising reminder of Leary’s potential.

Words by Mae Trumata

Originally published at https://www.indiependent.co.uk on March 3, 2021.