As post-punk and artists influenced by that era have been a large part of my musical diet for the past 40 years, it is understandable that music broadly linked to that genre has become jaded to my ears. Under those circumstances, it makes the excitement generated by Gdańsk, Poland trio Trupa Trupa’s new EP all the more remarkable.
The opening track and first single, ‘Sister Ray’, is introduced by a tar-black bassline, grumbling away like an appendix in need of emergency surgery. Combined with drums that sound like they could be in my room, synth whirrs and urgent lyrics and chorus, it makes for a fantastic two-and-a-half-minute blast. It is the best representation of Grzegorz Kwiatkowski’s compositions. All use repetition to build impact yet have a precise attack in the five songs that make their mark quickly, hovering around the two- or three-minute mark
‘Looking For’ has more of a funk edge, albeit a Bristolian post-punk funk feel, with Wojtek Juchniewicz’s vocals distorting amidst swathes of noise. Tomek Pawluczuk’s drums which herald ‘No More’ are crisp and massive. They are indicative of how well this record is produced by Nick Launay who has previously worked with Nick Cave and Idles. Accompanied by guitar jabbing like an aggressive finger in the face, sometimes spoken sometimes shouted vocals, it all sounds significant and revolutionary as the best noisy music should.
The least convincing number, ‘Backwards Water’ rushes along with grubby guitar but has some interesting tempo shifts during its hasty two minutes. The EP finishes with the title track made up of shrieks that recall Mark Stewart in his Pop Group prime, ragged funk guitars, bits of spacious echo, pummelling drums and a delicate closing chord. It is a huge way to end an EP that is an exhilarating explosion of sound.
Trupa Trupa: Mourners – Out 21 February 2025 (Glitterbeat)
Trupa – Sister Ray (Official Video) – YouTube
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
