Mammoth Penguins are a British three-piece

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band based in

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

, England. The band formed in 2013 and currently comprises members Emma Kupa, Mark Boxall and Tom Barden.

History

Emma Kupa's previous band Standard Fare broke up in 2013 following an eight-year run, and Kupa soon moved from

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

to Cambridgeshire. Switching from bass (which she played in Standard Fare) to guitar and vocals, Kupa teamed up with bassist Mark Boxall and drummer Tom Barden to form the combo Mammoth Penguins. The new group's debut single, "When I Was Your Age", was released in June 2015, and their album, ''Hide and Seek'', arrived a month later on the

Fortuna Pop! Fortuna POP! was an English independent record label based in London, started in 1995 by Sean Price. It specialised in indie pop music. Fortuna POP! previously promoted gigs under the banner of The Beat Hotel and then Basement Scam at the Buffal ...

label. The band returned in 2017 with the "A Simple Misunderstanding" single for Kingfisher Bluez; they went on to make a record that expanded from their earlier punk-pop sound. Under the name Mammoth Penguins & Friends, they recorded a concept album about a man who faked his own death, then returned ten years later. Titled ''John Doe'', it featured contributions from Haiku Salut's Sophie Barkerwood (programming/samples), as well as Russell Lomas (violin), and Joe Bear (samples/synths). The record was released in late 2017 on Where It's At Is Where You Are (often shortened to WIAWIYA). They released their third album, ''There's No Fight We Can't Both Win'', in 2019 on Fika Recordings. It again featured contributions from Joe Bear, as well as additional guitar by Faith Taylor. Veteran critic Robert Christgau regarded it as "the keeper" in Kupa's discography for how, "commonsensically and prosaically but also fervently and you bet tunefully, she's trying her best and getting better at" relationships, as reflected in the music's narratives.

Discography

Albums

*''Hide and Seek'' -

, LP, CD, MP3 (2015) *''John Doe'' - WIAWIYA, LP, CD, MP3 (2017) *''There's No Fight We Can't Both Win'' - Fika Recordings, LP, CD, MP3 (2019)

Singles

*"When I Was Your Age" -

, 7", MP3 (2015) *"Propped Up" -

, 7", MP3 (2015) *"A Simple Misunderstanding" - Kingfisher Bluez, 7", MP3 (2015)

References

British indie pop groups Musical groups from Cambridge Musical groups established in 2013 British musical trios 2013 establishments in England {{UK-band-stub