Artist: Emma Kupa
Title: Nothing At All
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika083SG1
Release date: 5th June 2020
Bandcamp | Spotify
Today, Friday 05 June we have the first track to be taken from Emma Kupa’s (of Mammoth Penguins and the sorely missed Standard Fare, fame) first full length solo album ‘It Will Come Easier’ (18/09)
The optimistic jaunt of ‘Nothing At All’ defies the futility in being unable to influence a particularly toxic situation.
"The song channels the emotions of being stuck in a relationship which is going nowhere. Frustrating and confusing, you feel lost because you don’t know what you can do about it. In fact, all you can do is nothing and let it move on without you. “
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 18 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.
With nods to Dusty Springfield, The Unthanks and The Postal Service, It Will Come Easier is a mesmerising journey through early adulthood, poignant and expertly detailed.
“Nothing At All serves as a fine introduction to this new musical horizon, citing the influence of Lou Reed’s Satellite Of Love, it is a track of contrasts. Across the track, it blends a strutting banjo line with a swampy bass-line, a folky Americana-intro with a chorus shimmering with layers of vocals and soaring electric guitar thrashing, and even finds room for an orchestral flourish as it constantly mutates across its six-minute runtime.” For The Rabbits
“A bright and feverish outpouring of frustration, “Nothing At All” is a fresh emotional upheaval that seeks not to quell, but rather to release our pent-up tension in as cathartic a way as possible.” Atwood Magazine
“It’s interesting to hear this track, as it seems to draw on bits and pieces of her musical career, from the folkier moments with the banjo to that ripping guitar line you can hear in the distance…but of course, its always about that distinctively powerful voice. It’s hard to not see this song’s lyrics through the lens of the last few weeks, however, as the protagonist seems fed up with facing the same dilemma time and time again…so even our art is starting to call us out.” Austin Town Hall
“Emma Kupa’s “Nothing At All” is a moment of solitude—resting at the kitchen table and looking out into the entryway to the living room, beams of light carrying particles of dust directly at eye-level. It's a sigh-filled breath and the feeling of coming home to yourself again. This track is a full-on catharsis, a solitary vigil in a moment of recognition that often in the face of irrevocable circumstance we can do “absolutely nothing, nothing at all." Instrumentally, this arrangement feels like a triumphant release from the pressure and discomfort of feeling cornered in an environment that cultivates a pining for freedom. Her voice is like an old friend returning, dressed up in a new outfit of folky instrumental accompaniment and idyllic warmth, dispensing the familiar feeling of coming to terms with surrender.” The Wild Honey Pie
“‘Nothing At All’ flows with Kupa’s distinctive luscious vocals, oozing a subtle gritty raw emotion, alongside twinkling folk-strewn melodies. Filled with a reflective, heartfelt lyrical storytelling, it’s impossible not to become utterly immersed in the song’s subtle passion that shines through amongst its effervescent uptempo musicality. As it builds with shimmering harmonies, the beauty of multiple voices coming together, uniting, creates a truly heartwarming slice of stirring indie-pop.” Get In Her Ears
“it’s Emma’s voice which is her secret weapon; at once totally in the tradition of the C86 indie gal, it’s all got a ballsy rawness and a folk edge which you might expect to hear more from Eliza Carthy. It’s full-blooded, bruised, still in love with love; but sassier than you, make no mistake.” Backseat Mafia
“it gallops out of the stalls on a furious acoustic strum with only the soothing vocal harmonies able to dampen down the guitar and banjo” Mad Mackerel