Emma Kupa currently fronts Mammoth Penguins, and The Hayman Kupa Band alongside Darren Hayman. She initially made her name with the sorely missed 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 and her first full-length solo album ‘It Will Come Easier’ (out 18th September) is sure to resonate just as deeply, if not more so. “The hope in the title is important to me – it is something I try to hold onto when things feel difficult”.
Tomorrow sees the release of her second album single, the beautiful sparse Hey Love, a song about noticing and appreciating the positive things in a relationship. With Emma’s lovely voice and lyrical acuity brought to the fore with bare accompaniment on violin and cello, this makes for an ode to love that is both astute and fragile. Hey Love, is also out Song of the Day:
‘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.
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.
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.
‘It Will Come Easier’ is released on 18th September on Fika Recordings (UK/Europe) and Palo Santo (USA).
https://fikarecordings.com/artists/emma-kupa