It’s been only a few months since the release of London-Tokyo-and-Jersey-based four-piece-but-sometimes-five-piece Yuck’s debut album hit the scenes and frontman Daniel Blumberg has already begun a side project of his own. This bitch-on-the-side, dubbed Oupa, is quite different from 90’s rock-inspired jams that Yuck pumps out though. Which I guess just goes to show what a musician Blumberg is. His debut, Forget, was released by Fat Possum Records three days ago. There’s something delicate and longing about it, like he’s been holding onto a secret pain for some time. It makes you want to stretch out the knots in your muscles, yet at the same retreat into some dark cave of solitude and feel bad for yourself. His voice and the soft piano that accompany it elicit emotion without even needing to pay attention to what he’s actually saying. It has a way of hollowing you out, making you wish for a catharsis. It’s a complete sensory experience that makes you feel vulnerable, like you’ve been stripped bare, curled on the floor of a glass mansion enshrouded by a winter landscape. I think maybe Blumberg took a load of sleep medication and contemplated everything shitty in the world and turned it into music. Yet there’s something pretty about it that could numb your brain and aching muscles and steadily lull you to sleep. This is definitely music for a mood. Give it a listen, take it in. It just might be something you’ll want to come back to someday soon.
Oupa – Physical from Boiled Egg on Vimeo.
Oupa – Windows from Boiled Egg on Vimeo.
