Throughout the years there have always been questionable finds. Rarely does something arrive that’s engaging, captivating, and leaves you with more questions than answers. But when it does happen and you’re blessed with having your senses jolted, that’s when things become interesting.
Trupa Trupa hails from Poland and is taking its shot away from what they do know, for an exploration. Not just in the music the quartet creates but touring outside of the land they call home for a stateside jaunt before heading back to Europe later this year. This is all in support of “I’ll find” (Lovitt/Glitterbeat), it’s 4-song E.P.
The music the group creates is nothing short of beautiful, as it opens with “Fitzcarraldo,” which never moves faster than the midtempo position it’s left in. The band utilizes harmonies in an uncanny way, directing instruments to drone on but without forsaking the tones and melody. It’s wickedly enticing. But then “End Of The Line” confounds as guitar notes repeat leading you to believe Trupa Trupa will move at a much quicker pace but then doesn’t. It’s the juxtaposition of two very different things happening at once as vocals then repeat, “All the way to the end of the line,” only to find yourself following its direction to see where it ends. The song ends the way it begins.
The creepy psychedelia of “Invisible Door” further confounds with airy vocals and what sounds like a recorder filtered with effects. The band does march in its own direction, eschewing any semblance for the need to fit in. Trupa stands so far away from the rest of the pack again basing its music on repetition, with little to no variation. And it’s well worth it. Closing things out with “I’ll Find,” the band adds layer upon layer of sound within one song, with odd vocal cadences filtered in. It moves eerily and beautifully all at once building in volume until its eventual dissipation.
Where does this leave us? In a place where color doesn’t taste the same and food has a sound that varies from dish to dish. On “I’ll find”, Trupa Trupa masterfully allows instruments to lead the way, letting them adjust to the ways of the world and then tearing it apart to suit its own needs. Yes, I’m fine with that.
Eddie Ugarte, www.ghettoblastermagazine.com
