Posts Tagged ‘Standard Fare’

EMMA KUPA – ” It Will Come Easier “

Posted: September 19, 2020 in MUSIC
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Emma Kupa currently fronts Mammoth Penguins, and The Hayman Kupa Band alongside Darren Hayman. She initially made her name with Standard Fare, who called it a day at the peak of their success in 2013. Kupa’s insightful warmth, eye for lyrical detail and powerful, idiosyncratic voice has made her a firm favourite amongst fans and critics alike.

Following successes fronting Mammoth Penguins and the sorely missed Standard Fare, Emma Kupa releases her first full length solo album “It Will Come Easier” on 18th September:
“The hope in the title is important to me – it is something I try to hold onto when things feel difficult”.

It Will Come Easier delves through the trials and tribulations of attempting to navigate the crossroads of your early thirties. Head on and raw, Kupa leads us through her tender reflections on relationship regrets, the torment and pressure to succeed, and the dichotomy of now finding herself inclined to choose logic over impulse – “does her smile light up your heart, or do you just want to get under her shirt?” she asks on Does It Feel New.

Her most personal collection of songs to date, they pick up from the intimate family portraits of Kupa’s debut solo EP, Home Cinema:

“The album explores aspects of love, escapism and fidelity, but there’s also a thread about accepting feelings of hopelessness when you don’t quite meet the many pressures of life’s expectations”.

In spite of the harsh directness of its subject matter, It Will Come Easier has an audible freshness and a spring in its step. The optimistic jaunt of Nothing At All defies the futility in being unable to influence a particularly toxic situation. I Keep An Eye out is a follow up to Home Cinema’s Half Sister, written for the eponymous sibling that doesn’t know of Kupa.

Written and recorded over a period of time, Kupa felt she needed to give these 10 tracks some emotional space before making them public. Joined by bandmates from both Mammoth Penguins and Suggested Friends (Mark Boxall and Faith Taylor, respectively), alongside Laura Ankles, Joe Bear, Rory McVicar and Carmela Pietrangelo, the instrumentation is more diverse than in previous Kupa bands. From the sparse, evocative strings of Hey Love and the simple piano backing of unexpected wedding drama in Crying Behind The Marquee, through to the grinding synths of CP Reprise, textural flourishes abound, belying Kupa’s background fronting noisy three-piece indie-pop outfits.

“It Will Come Easier” is a mesmerising journey through early adulthood, poignant and expertly detailed.

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“It Will Come Easier” is released on 18th September on Fika Recordings (UK/Europe) and Palo Santo (USA).
The album is preceded by a trio of digital singles: Nothing At All (June 5th), Hey Love (July 10th) and Nawlins (August 14th).

Released September 18th, 2020

MAMMOTH PENGUINS – ” Hide and Seek “

Posted: December 3, 2015 in MUSIC
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Emma Kupa’s singing is for me a visceral source of inspiration and motivation, and I can never quite put my finger on why. That’s even more true with this new band Mammoth Penguins than it was with her previous band Standard Fare, who put out two great albums a few years back. I think it’s because Mammoth Penguins feels more direct, highlighting her singing in an even more raw way. The songs are similarly melancholy yet raucous, articulate about personal failings and emotional dilemmas within a structure of driving pop. The guitars and drums crash their way into an endless party, while Kupa voices inner turmoil. “Hide and Seek” drives through a collection of wishes, confessions and regrets, before culminating in an explosive rumination on aging and generational expectations.

“When I Was Your Age” is the first single to be taken from “Hide and Seek”, the debut album from Mammoth Penguins, the new band fronted by Emma Kupa (formerly of Standard Fare). The song is gloriously messy and loud, about feeling inadequate about one’s achievements. As Emma explains, “It started off with a birthday card from my granddad saying that he was married with kids at 28 and then I started thinking about what my parents, grandparents and family members had achieved by the time they were my age”.  the album is an exhilarating collection of indie anthems, with Emma’s candid songwriting and heartfelt vocals at the fore. Chugging away like the greatest Weezer record you’ve never heard, the songs are bold, loud and outrageously catchy, with lyrics that hit just the right chord, exploring the burgeoning responsibilities of being in your late 20s/early 30s.