It\u2019s only a mini-album, but Fyr packs a powerful punch, and it\u2019s perhaps all the more impressive given it comes after the quartet had to press the restart button when guitarist Daniel Nygren called it quits last year.<\/p>\n
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Speaking to remaining guitarist David Rosberg and bassist Erik S\u00e4vstr\u00f6m it soon appears that the recording process \u2013 which was more fragmented than usual \u2013 wasn\u2019t all joy and sunshine. Rosberg describes the process as \u201ctough,\u201d while S\u00e4vstr\u00f6m, who admits he is more of a stage man than a studio dweller, says it was a \u201ctrauma.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explains: \u201cWith previous recordings we\u2019ve always done everything in one studio. But the dude who recorded us then stopped doing it. He\u2019d recorded us, mixed everything and was co-producing everything and he was a close friend. It was a loss not to be able to record at his place.\u201d<\/p>\n
GAUPA – Ten Of Twelve (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) – YouTube
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Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Rosberg adds: \u201cIt was a very different approach this time. It was a bit hectic as well \u2013 everything was quite last-minute. The process was a bit too rushed for me; but I\u2019m happy with the result.\u201d<\/p>\n That result is four songs \u2013 Lion\u2019s Thorn, Heavy Lord, Ten Of Twelve and Elastic Sleep \u2013 which span 24 minutes in which they grab Gaupa\u2019s atmospheric, free-thinking and stoner-speckled rock and inject fresh chutzpah; a gift for diehards and newbies alike.<\/p>\n One of the their strongest selling points has always been singer Emma N\u00e4slund, whose soaring, captivating vocals leave a mark as permanent as the wine stain on your sofa. With a line-up completed by Jimmy Hurtig and his booming drumming, there are moments on Fyr (\u201clighthouse\u201d in Swedish) where it sounds like Bj\u00f6rk<\/a> in a blender with Black Sabbath<\/a>, with a dash of Porcupine Tree<\/a> and Tool<\/a>. And the world is surely a much better place for it.<\/p>\n N\u00e4slund\u2019s nomadic lyrics explore wonderfully grand themes such as time, reality and nature, all inspired by Ursula K Le Guin\u2019s sci-fi novel The Word For World Is Forest. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of references to time being elastic, and surreal shit that Emma drops all the time,\u201d Rosberg says with a smile. He reveals the theme was inspired by a concept album involving a ticking clock which never made the cut.<\/p>\n Following Nygren\u2019s departure, the remaining members decided to abandon musical ideas that were already in gestation and start from scratch with fresh material for Fyr. As a result, the release \u2013 their first with engineer Karl Daniel Lid\u00e9n \u2013 marks a turning point.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cWe usually come up with riffs then sit down in our rehearsal space, and bring everything together by jamming,\u201d explains Rosberg. \u201cWe needed to just start from scratch to make these songs happen. It was a big catharsis for us; it was needed.\u201d<\/p>\n The parties split on friendly terms. \u201cBut of course it\u2019s been a lot to cope with, having one less member, and one person less in the artistic process,\u201d the guitarist continues. \u201cIt\u2019s a big change, but it feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n GAUPA – Lion’s Thorn (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n The roots of Gaupa (\u201clynx\u201d in Swedish) are in their 2018 self-titled debut EP, released a year after they formed. The members were in other bands, but Gaupa presented an opportunity to try something new.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just like, \u2018Let\u2019s meet up in a cellar and just play some rock,\u2019\u201d Rosberg explains. \u201cWveryone was like, \u2018Yeah! Let\u2019s play some rock!\u2019 But when we came together it was suddenly exploding and there were songs coming out.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaupa is a melting pot of styles and influences; Rosberg says he and Hurtig bring heavy prog inspiration from the likes of Opeth and Meshuggah, while S\u00e4vstr\u00f6m is a \u201cmulti-faceted punk rock<\/a> bassist.\u201d He adds: \u201cAnd Emma\u2019s just out there flying, soaring between the base camps.<\/p>\n \u201cProgressive, to me, means you\u2019re exploring something \u2013 using music to create a journey. It doesn\u2019t have to be about odd meters or those kind of things. To us, the progressive element has always been, \u2018Let\u2019s see what happens if we go that way\u2019 instead of going the conventional way.<\/p>\n Rosberg uses his pedalboard to further tap into the experimental ethos. It\u2019s so gargantuan that, with 15 or so pedals already involved, there\u2019s no space for more. \u201cI love ambient parts also \u2013 I can use the guitar to make big, atmospheric, feedbacky sounds and stuff like that.<\/p>\n GAUPA – Heavy Lord (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFeedback is one of my main ways of expressing myself as a guitarist because it\u2019s so alive. You can control it, but you also can\u2019t control it. Atmosphere and ambience is an important part of our artistic exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n On their fourth release, signed to Nuclear Blast and able to tour to acclaim internationally, it\u2019s a long way from the basement sessions of the late 2010s. One of their songs has nearly five million plays on Spotify<\/a>. Impressive stuff \u2013 but you get the feeling there\u2019s more to come.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have any expectation at all. One gig is more than I expected!\u201d S\u00e4vstr\u00f6m says. \u201cI thought we\u2019d have fun and write some music together; the rest of it\u2019s a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosberg notes: \u201cI\u2019ve been in so many bands and I have so many friends in bands. You always really feel like you\u2019re creating something new \u2013 but maybe you\u2019re just another generic band doing something that\u2019s already been done. Gaupa felt different from the other bands I\u2019d been in. There was some connection that went in a different direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
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