MUSIC REVIEW

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There’s a certain kind of honesty that can’t be manufactured and with 5 Year Plan, Ōtautahi artist Lee Martin leans fully into it.

Her latest single arrives as both a confession and a reset sitting in that uneasy space between what was planned and what actually unfolded. It explores the feeling of being suspended between expectation and reality, where timelines blur and clarity doesn’t come as quickly as hoped. This isn’t polished pop.This is reflection. Reckoning. A quiet confrontation with time.

Known around Aotearoafor her soul-rich voice and genre-blurring sound weaving between indie, folk and country, Martin has always drawn listeners in through emotional clarity. But here, there’s a shift.

This time, she’s not just telling a story. She’s sitting inside it.

Around the release, the tone feels grounded as a quiet acknowledgement of process, collaboration, and everything it takes to bring a piece like this into the world. There’s no overstatement. Just presence.

For CM readers, Lee Martin is a familiar name. A past feature, yes but more importantly, an artist evolving in real time. One who continues to document the in-between with honesty and restraint.

5 Year Plan forms part of a wider body of work still to come, offering a glimpse into what feels like a more exposed and intentional chapter ahead. Not everything is resolved. Not everything is meant to be and that’s where its strength lies. This release doesn’t feel like an ending. It truly feels like a turning point.

And if this is the tone of what’s ahead, Lee Martin isn’t just reflecting on the past. She’s rewriting the plan entirely.