It Will Come Easier

Having devoted the 2010s to playing in numerous collaborative projects, including, most notably, C-86 successors Standard Fare and (still active in 2020) Mammoth Penguins, in addition to some short-form solo material, Emma Kupa finally shares her long-brewing full-length debut. Fans of those bands will be pleased to find a similarly down-to-earth, highly melodic approach, if theres a stronger folk element, instrumentation-wise, on the resulting It Will Come Easier. Also encouraging for longtime followers is the fact that it was recorded piecemeal over a period of years and includes contributions from bandmates both current and former, including Mammoth Penguins Mark Boxall, Rory McVicar of the short-lived Without Feathers, and Faith Taylor of Suggested Friends. Among the bouncier, up-tempo tracks on board are the infectious Nawlins and I Keep an Eye Out, a song that opens with banjo before drums, bass, and rhythm guitar join in. Keyboards, electric guitar, and more instruments eventually add texture but never clutter the songs jaunty rhythm as Kupa imagines crossing paths with an unaware half-sister. Tunes like those are balanced by more-reflective ones like the sparse Hey Love, which has Kupa accompanied by only a small string ensemble. Later, CP Reprise takes the complexion of slow-churning alt-rock, while Crying Behind the Marquee closes the album with a wistful piano ballad. Throughout the well-crafted, bittersweet set, Kupa explores the complicated emotions and outcomes of various relationships, with an eye toward the relatable everyday and unanswered questions like When our eyes are all strayin/Do we stay, love?/Do we keep it together? ~ Marcy Donelson