The Marches turn destructive repetition into exhilarating release on their compelling new single, ‘The Habit’.
The second track taken from the Glasgow four-piece’s forthcoming debut EP, Faultline, finds the band confronting the cycles we recognise but cannot quite escape—the people, impulses and familiar mistakes that continue pulling us back, even when experience tells us to walk away.
Formed in 2024, The Marches who comprise of Katie Palmer (Vocals and rhythm guitar) Jane Jenkins (lead guitar Nicola Singleton (Bass) Kate Morrow (drums) have amassed over 75k streams, securing support from BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Introducing Scotland, Amazing Radio and the ThisIsTheMusic Rise of The Indie Artists show, alongside sold-out Glasgow headline shows and appearances at Belladrum, Pavilion Festival and Prestfest.
Opening with a brooding guitar line that immediately creates a sense of unease, ‘The Habit’ steadily draws the listener into its orbit. Katie Palmer’s rhythm guitar and Jane Jenkins’ atmospheric lead work circle one another, while Nicola Singleton’s bass supplies a dark underlying pulse and Kate Morrow’s drums drive the track forward with growing urgency.
At its centre is a vocal performance from Palmer that moves convincingly from quiet confession towards sharp resolve. The restrained delivery of the verses allows the tension to simmer, before her voice rises above the increasingly forceful instrumentation. That gradual escalation mirrors the song’s subject perfectly: resistance giving way to temptation, followed by the realisation that the same damaging pattern has begun all over again.
The guitars are particularly effective. Jagged chords and melodic flourishes overlap without crowding the mix, giving ‘The Habit’ both grit and atmosphere. The guitars are particularly effective. Jagged chords and melodic flourishes overlap without crowding the mix, giving ‘The Habit’ both grit and atmosphere. Carrying the brooding tension of early Wolf Alice and the widescreen guitar power of The Joy Formidable, the track gradually transforms quiet unease into a thrilling emotional release. Yet The Marches retain an identity of their own, using those darker alternative-rock textures to create something immediate, intense and emotionally consuming.
Rather than chasing an immediate payoff, The Marches allow the pressure to accumulate. A late breakdown briefly loosens the song’s grip before the full band returns with renewed force, pushing the closing section towards a cathartic finish. It is here that the carefully maintained tension finally breaks, transforming private conflict into something widescreen and communal.
By its final, thunderous surge, ‘The Habit’ is no longer simply describing an inescapable cycle—it has pulled the listener inside one. Tension, temptation and release collide in a track that grows more consuming with every passing second. Raw, relentless and impossible to shake, ‘The Habit’ doesn’t merely get under your skin—it takes hold, tightens its grip and refuses to let go.
The Habit is out now on all streaming and download platforms.
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