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Babe Martin is the musical project of Zoë Larsen Cumming (she/her), a musician and songwriter based in Tāmaki Makaurau.

With a voice like velvet, and an acerbic deftness to her lyrics, Babe Martin is a performer on the rise. Her debut release, The Versoix EP in 2023, revealed a triptych of confident and arresting songs, and announced Larsen Cumming as a songwriter to watch. Since Versoix, Larsen Cumming has spent time crafting new music while performing in the bands of peers including Jazmine Mary, HINA and Isla Noon. The result of this period is the forthcoming EP Not a Bee, but a Wasp; where warm washes of violin, seascapes of piano and Larsen Cumming’s singular voice combine to create a sonic world beamed in from another time and place.

Babe Martin has just released ‘Only Good’, the second single from Not a Bee, but a Wasp. Co-produced by Larsen Cumming, Maude Minnie Morris and Navakatoa Tekela-Pule ‘Only Good’ showcases Larsen Cumming’s skill as a composer and performer, and anticipates exciting horizons ahead for Babe Martin.

‘Only Good’ grounds itself in Babe Martin’s piano performance before taking flight to a chaotic cacophonous conclusion. Utilising the same crew as ‘Sundog’, ‘Only Good’ features Babe Martin’s live band consisting of Harry Thompson-Cook on guitar, Amy Borovich (HINA) on violin along with Fen Ikner (LIPS) on drums and Maude Minnie Morris on bass. The track was mixed by Navakatoa Tekela-Pule (LEAO, Erny Belle, Noa Records) who shares co-production credits along with Morris and Larsen Cumming. ‘Only Good’ was mastered by Sunreturn label mate Amelia Berry (Amamelia, Van Staden & Böhm).

“‘Only Good’ is about the very early stages of a relationship where there are no expectations, no pressure, no rules – just the joy of getting to know someone in a new light,” explains Larsen Cumming. “As the lyrics say, ‘You don’t know me, so you don’t owe me nothing yet,’ and vice versa. It’s about enjoying the freedom that comes from ambiguity. It felt important to capture that time and feeling.”

‘Only Good’ is accompanied by a music video directed by Ali Burns and edited by Louisa Nicklin. Spinning into focus the clip sees the return of the ominous Bee Keeper from Babe Martin’s previous video Sundog.

“Ali and I had worked together on a couple of projects already – acting in her short film, ‘A Magic Orange’, and also in Louisa Nicklin’s ‘Can’t See’ music video. I love her style and the things she makes, so I just asked if she would be keen to make a video for one of my songs. Ali is wonderful to work with, she’s super creative and very organised, and a great combination of silly and smart.”

“I felt like ‘’Only Good’’ would be a good track for a video, and I knew the beekeeper had to come back, so we just went from there! Ali took the beekeeper character and ran with it. We shot it at my Grandma’s house which was very cute, she loved it.”

“I love this song so much,” reflects Babe Martin. “I think it’s one of my favourites that I’ve written. The lyrics are stripped back and to the point, and I adore what everyone who played on it added to the song. I’m very excited for people to hear it, and to see the video!”

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Photo Credit: Rachel Ashby