About

Thank you to my dear friend, Danniel Oickle for this beautiful introduction.

Lifeboat was written by Aileen Martella over the course of five years between 2014-2019, and was originally recorded on an iphone while her two daughters were napping or at preschool. It is a collection of songs about the complexities of love, chronic pain, self-medicating, and the ironic loneliness of social media.

After five years of sitting in a voice memo folder, it was time for her songs to be heard. Believing in her talent for songwriting, Aileen’s parents gifted her studio time at Little Bullhorn Productions in Ottawa, ON. Originally, the goal was just to get some decent recordings for posterity, a time capsule to give her two daughters someday, but the project soon evolved into something more. Over the course of two and a half months, Aileen and her father, an accomplished bass and organ player in his own right (catch his skills on “Take me On”), would drive to the studio to tirelessly create a cohesive gem replete with charm and approachability - an album of small confessions and a woman’s fortitude.

One of the many unexpected turns in this project was when Dave Draves grabbed the helm as producer. He took what Aileen believed to be simple, sweet, “girl with a guitar” songs and turned them into atmospheric, cinematic pieces full of resonating depth. Dave instinctively understood her burgeoning sound and understated nature, breathing life into her music in nuanced and gentle ways, and for that, she will be forever grateful.

The title of the album, Lifeboat, was pulled from the song “Solid Gold” - but to Aileen, it is much more than just a lyric. Music has been a safe place, a saving place, for Aileen through decades of coping with debilitating chronic neurological pain that resulted in two failed brain surgeries meant to correct the neuralgia. It is a refuge she built during a seemingly impossible struggle, one word and one chord at a time. Some songs were the sails while others were the rudders. Some were the oars that propelled her forward into uncharted dark waters while some were the very storm itself. Ultimately, Aileen found that the only person who can save her from drowning in the waves, was herself. The storm will come for everyone one day, and we all must build our own lifeboats - each one as unique as the quells we endure. Each one able to carry only ourselves. Each one out on the vast open water alone. Sure, we can pull our boats up alongside of each other - maybe even tether ourselves together for a while - but regardless of our desires to help or be helped, we must make the journey by ourselves, letting the waves take each of us wherever they will.

This album is only the beginning for a prolific and nuanced singer/songwriter. On Lifeboat, Aileen weaves a tapestry of delicate vocals, crisp guitars, and organic production to create something truly beautiful. Having written songs for various Canadian recording artists in the past but never for herself before, this is the album people have been waiting to hear. But, that wait is over. Grab your headphones, dim the lights, and let Aileen pull her lifeboat up beside yours.