Swedish heavy stoner rockers Gaupa reveal new single »Ten Of Twelve« & details of forthcoming mini-album »Fyr«!
Swedish progressive stoner rockers Gaupa premiere new single and music video »Ten Of Twelve« taken from their upcoming mini-album, »Fyr«, scheduled for release on July 4th, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records and Magnetic Eye Records.
Listen to »Ten Of Twelve« on all major streaming platforms!
Tracklist:
01. Lion’s Thorn
02. Heavy Lord
03. Ten Of Twelve
04. Elastic Sleep
05. Sömnen / Febersvan (Live at Monkey Moon Studios, 2023)
Courtesy of All Noir PR:
Swedish heavy stoner rockers GAUPA drop »Ten Of Twelve« as the first advance single from their forthcoming new mini album »Fyr«, meaning either “four”, “beacon” or “lighthouse”. The release is scheduled for July 4, 2025. Available for pre-order HERE.
“The rooster is the tenth animal in the Chinese zodiac and that’s also the meaning of the title,” vocalist Emma Näslund reveals. “It’s usually connected with perseverance, being on time and alert. The rooster often suggests prosperity and luck in different cultures. I read that somewhere back in the day people thought it was lucky to bring a rooster into the kitchen. I thought that it was a bit fun to play with the idea of a chaotic and unlucky rooster. Someone who just messes things up.”
Erik Jerka Sävström adds: “Initially, I wanted a medieval sounding riff, being inspired by our compatriots Hällas,” the bass player writes. “When the riff emerged, I truly tried to give it that dreamy Hällas sound, but then I started to play with the changing pattern and it turned out even more complex than originally intended.”
GAUPA have utilized the departure of guitarist Daniel Nygren, who left the band in 2024, to manifest a “big turning point”, according to remaining and now sole guitarist David Rosberg. With various changes to their writing process, they also worked in new studios, with a new recording crew, and new visual artists.
Photo by Mats Ek
New engineer Karl Daniel Lidén has given the tracks on »Fyr« a grittier, more aggressive sound. At the same time, the core elements of the Swedes’ musical approach are present: spellbinding intricacy, tripped-out, spacious verses guiding a steady stream of psychedelia, and waves of hard stoner riffs.
Inspired largely by Ursula K. Le Guin’s award-winning science fiction novel »The Word For World Is Forest«, vocalist Emma Näslund’s lyrics contemplate the concept of time as well as the essential question as to what is real, which seeps throughout the songs.
Since the release of their self-titled EP in 2018, GAUPA – which translates as ‘lynx’ in English – have paved new ground in the stoner and psychedelic scene, building a unique cosmos defined by enchanting lyrical surrealism and mind-altering sounds. In 2020, their debut album »Feberdröm« pushed them into the international spotlight with its outstanding blend of progressive metal, doom, stoner, and folk, steered by the entrancing vocals of Emma Näslund.
Following the arrival of 2022’s full-length »Myriad«, with the track »Exoskeleton« reaching over a million streams on Spotify (the EP’s »Febersvan« now has over 4 million), GAUPA went on to deliver unforgettable performances at prestigious festivals including Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, Sweden Rock, Mystic, and Desertfest among many others, as well as on tours with underground heavyweights such as Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, Blood Ceremony, and Graveyard.
Although GAUPA describe »Fyr« as a “patchwork of parts”, with each member having an equal part to play, this mini album comes as a solid record that sets a high bar for their future works. For the present, lean back, listen closely, and enjoy this captivating waypoint on the GAUPA journey!
(Based on a text originally written by Liz Scarlett)
The physical release of »Fyr« comes with a bonus track that is not included in the digital version.
Line-up:
Emma Näslund – Vocals
Jimmy Hurtig – Drums
Erik Jerka Sävström – Bass
David Zol Rosberg – Guitars
Guest musician:
Adrian Dal Cero – Bagpipe on »Lion’s Thorn«
Drum recording by György Barocsai at Svenska Grammofonstudion, Göteborg (SE).
Bass recording by György Barocsai at Svenska Grammofonstudion, Göteborg (SE).
Vocals, guitars & bagpipes recorded by David Zol Rosberg, Emma Näslund & Erik Ståhlberg at Estethuset studios & Emma’s shed, Falun (SE).
Mixed by Karl Daniel Lidén.
Mastering by Karl Daniel Lidén.
Cover artwork by Kutlayus.
Layout by David Åhrström.
GAUPA Live:
16 May 2025 Falun (SE) Tio14, KlubbSlammer
05 Jul 2025 London (UK) Stoomfest
25 Jul 2025 Gangnef (SE) Krökbacken Festival
01 Aug 2025 Beelen (DE) Krach am Bach
17 Aug 2025 Carhaix-Plouguer (FR) Motocultor
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well