LUPONERO (MAGENTA VINYL)

In an age where continuously publishing singles is the new norm, Luponero is old school enough to be thoroughly passionate about albums. There is tremendous substance to indulge in when listening through a record front to back, something that playlists will never be able to give. The sum becomes so much more than its parts. "As a songwriter I think in albums. I step into these new chapters of creativity, with the goal of one day letting them culminate in albums. The art may of course reshape itself in unforeseen ways countless times during the journey, but that's what's so magical about it - you never know where the universe will lead you. Rooted in our shared love for such a wide range of music - everything from grunge, punk rock and classic rock to 80's synthwave, ambient pop, post-punk - this package will not be easy to compartmentalize, which is exactly what I love about it." For this record, Luponero set out to explore the sort of "positive nihilism" that is present in so much of today's culture. "Sometimes it's as if we've already given up, and we're just standing there watching www.icea.se everything turn to shit, spreading laughter emojis and desperately clinging to completely unnecessary materia." The album reflects on that, from several angles. There's also some really personal stuff in there, such as "Angelo", which is a song about Marco Luponero's father. --- Hailing from Finland, Luponero is an alternative hard rock powerhouse fronted by veteran musician Marco Luponero, formerly of Terrorwheel, Altaria, and Marco Luponero & The Loud Ones. The trio's explosive energy and infectious melodies have earned them a loyal following, and their raw, honest lyrics reflect the chaos and beauty of modern life.