Sirens (Kevin Richard Martin album)

Sirens is a solo studio album by English musician Kevin Richard Martin. It was released on 7 June 2019 through Room40.^[1] It received universal acclaim from critics.^[2]

Sirens
Studio album by Kevin Richard Martin
Released	7 June 2019 (2019-06-07)
Length	61:00
Label	Room40
Producer	Kevin Richard Martin
Kevin Richard Martin chronology
Sirens (2019) Return to Solaris (2021)

Background

Sirens is Kevin Richard Martin's first studio album under his real name.^[3] He has also released his solo music under the pseudonym The Bug.^[4] Sirens draws inspiration from his wife's emergency procedures during the birth and two life-threatening operations for his son.^[5] The album originates from a 2015 live performance at the CTM Festival.^[3] Lawrence English saw the performance and asked to release the work on his record label Room40.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Exclaim!	8/10[6]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[7]
PopMatters	8/10[8]
Resident Advisor	3.9/5[9]
Spectrum Culture	3.75/5[10]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Sirens received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.^[2]

Euan Andrews of The Quietus called the album "a dense and weighty work of art which examines the areas between life and death in which we shall all find ourselves."^[11] He added, "Kevin Richard Martin is making music about subject matters almost wilfully unconsidered by many due to the sheer terrors represented within their everyday realities."^[11] Daniel Bromfield of PopMatters commented that "It feels perverse to enjoy an album about a man's real trauma as a thrill-ride, but Sirens comes out as one of the most beguiling and frightening works of domestic horror ever committed to record."^[8] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork stated, "It is both abstract and primal, the recorded equivalent of a panicky feeling in the gut; its moments of staggering dark intensity bring to mind the nameless dread of the best horror soundtracks."^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kevin Richard Martin.

Sirens track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"There Is a Problem"	2:02
2.	"Bad Dream"	5:38
3.	"After the Party"	3:21
4.	"Life Threatening Operation 2"	10:48
5.	"Alarms"	2:52
6.	"Too Much"	4:09
7.	"The Surgeon"	2:49
8.	"Mechanical Chatter in the I.C.U."	3:35
9.	"Kangaroo Care"	3:24
10.	"The Deepest Fear"	2:31
11.	"Necrosis"	7:49
12.	"Loss of Consciousness"	3:26
13.	"Finalling"	2:18
14.	"A Bright Future"	5:31
Total length:		61:00

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[12]

• Kevin Richard Martin – production
• Stefan Betke – mastering