by Lupa releases Insatiable, her first EP with mau5trap, and it’s a heavy-hitting collection of new wave techno with strong industrial flavors.
Lupa is fresh to the scene but got her feet wet in the UK underground before committing completely to her music. It seems to have sucked her in, being an unavoidable outlet for her self-expression and creativity.
“I was once asked what motivates me to create music and at the time I had no idea how to answer it. I love the music for the sake of art itself, but there was something else deep inside that pushed me even further. When I’m not working on music or art, I’m thinking about it constantly and it’s usually my first waking thought. The only thing I have is this relentless motivation for self expression and it’s the only thing I need. This EP represents that fierce, undefinable feeling in my gut, an insatiable hunger.” – Lupa
With the motivation, honed technique, and burning creativity, Lupa created Insatiable’s fiery five tracks. The first track ‘Along for the Ride’ is a moody soundscape that picks up speed like a train and is coupled with crooning vocals that give the feeling of being swept away by the music, the beat, the sensations of it all. The second track ‘Darkness’ has a bolder bassline, sharper synths, and a tight snare that blossom at the drop into a fervent storm of throwback techno styles that simmer with new flavors; the vocals again share raw emotions of despair but seem beautiful in their starkness.
The next track brings in more of the raw, industrial, warehouse sounds and is titled ‘Icarus’. “The name comes from one of my favorite stories in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses,’” explains Lupa, “the story itself is about a man who goes against the way of nature and the Gods and in return is punished.” The steady techno rhythm is speckled with staccato synths, and it just adds this modern grittiness to the sound. The artful transition from this to the ethereal break, glittering with birdsongs clips, and cloudy effects, is breathtaking and provides the abrupt contrast to the return of the main beat.
This earthy, industrial sound continues in the final track, ‘The Night.’ This one mixes in the same type of intensity but trusses it up a bit with a meaty bassline and a dramatic pause. The lyrics allude to the overwhelming emotions of an early attraction and are a duet that tells the same story from two perspectives. ‘The Night’ is a brooding love story with a sharp techno setting that emotes both the delicate nature of emotions and also their power.
Check these tracks out below plus a bonus extended version of ‘Darkness’ below.
