Trupa Trupa

Recenzja LP – The Manc Review

Trupa Trupa are an alternative psychedelic, garage rock band from Gdansk, Poland.  Having released an EP in English on May 27th 2010, Trupa Trupa have continued their success with their first album, titled LP, released in June 2011. With their signature farfisa tones and  post-punk riffs Trupa Trupa have stepped up their game, incorporating more multi-faceted and intricate riffs.

With Grzegorz Kwiatkowski on vocals/guitars, Wojtek Juchniewicz on bass, Tomek Pawluczuk on drums and Rafał Wojczal on keyboards, Trupa Trupa are that rare Indie band whose crossbreed of post punk and psychedelic tones are prevalent in equal measures. What’s great about this album is the subtle quirky inserts and idiosyncratic vocals which hail Trupa Trupa very much a progressive and individualistic band. With fragments of Joy Divison, The Hives and The Strokes, Trupa Trupa is one of those bands which would sit comfortably in some trendy, underground nightclub, whilst waiting in the wings to be part of another post-punk/garage revival.

With Revolution, you hear how those mesh of distorted, murky riffs that up-step and slide against the shuffle drums and groovy Farfisa tones. With songs such as Did You, Nearness of You and Don’t Go Away, you get to hear Trupa Trupa’s more 60s infused sounds. With its psychedelic, wah splodges and underlay of farfisa tones Did You is filled with sunshiny romanticism.  Likewise, Don’t Go Away is characterised by the breezy, flutey synths which navigate around the bumpty bump beats and acoustic riffs. Staying true to their post-punk roots, songs such as Walt Whitman and Good Days are gone, pulsate with a youthful energy, dabbling with a nihilistic angst whilst revving behind the metallic and reverberating riffs.

With a remixed Marmalade Sky, you see Trupa Trupa’s skill at unleashing crashing wah riffs that reverberate against the uptempo, zany beats.  With Porn Actress, Trupa Trupa illustrate how crunchy post-punk riffs can effortlessly crossover into more grungy riffs, likened to early Sonic Youth. Along with the shuffle beats and sombre, telescopic vocals, Porn Actress sorrow is also filtered through the oblique farfisa tones and bleak lyrics. Continuing with the oblique farfisa tones, Take My Hand  slithers and swirls into darker territory, adopting a more macabre and space-rock sound. Lyrically tortured, Take My Hand is customised with subtle sound effects which create a theatrical and eerie backdrop. Along with the interlude of abandoned vocals and robust drums Take My Hand builds the tension, whilst crashing and revitalising through the choppy and droning riffs. As a debut album, LP is very impressive, illustrating how post-punk and 6o’s psychedelic can be uprooted and moulded into a modern and diverse sound.

Donna Gorey, The Manc Review

Recenzja LP – The Manc Review