Something of a regular on these pages, Emma Kupa is a Cambridgeshire-based songwriter who releases music as a solo performer, fronts Mammoth Penguins, and is one-half of The Hayman Kupa Band. While Emma’s musical career stretches back to 2005 and the formation of the acclaimed Standard Fare, 2020 was something of a landmark year, as Emma teamed up with Fika Recordings to release her debut solo album, It Will Come Easier. Now teaming up with Lost Map, for whom Emma has performed at various events over the last few years, today Emma is sharing her new single, Happy Birthday, the video for which is premiering here today.

As Emma is quick to point out, Happy Birthday is, “pretty self-explanatory”, written as a happy birthday wish to a loved one. The track also serves as a reminder of the reflective experience of turning a year older, as Emma explains, “I always tend to see what I haven’t achieved or what I regret. So it’s also a message to myself to focus more on the positives and also just be grateful to be alive and what I do have”.

A stand-alone single, musically Happy Birthday seems to pick up where Emma’s debut album left off; with a fluttering reminder that banjo can sound subtle accompanied by a fuzzy, perfectly distant electric guitar and a march of brushed drums. Despite being a solo single, the track ends with a contrastingly communal feel, as a choir of voices sing out the repeated simplicity of the line, “happy birthday to the one I love”, and the whole thing gradually fades to black. Released as part of Lost Map’s PostMap Club, Happy Birthday is set for a fitting release, as a physical birthday card, which available to order from tomorrow, and ahead of that, you can watch the accompanying video below.

Happy Birthday is out today via Lost Map. For more information on Emma Kupa visit https://emmakupa.wordpress.com.