Change is rarely easy, and for Sweden’s Gaupa, the past year has been a test of resilience. In 2024, co-guitarist Daniel Nygren departed to focus on family life, leaving the band to reconfigure one of its core dynamics. Rather than rush forward, they paused, regrouped, and in the summer began crafting their first release in three years — the four-track mini-album “FYR.” The title is a clever nod to multiple meanings in Swedish: “lighthouse,” “to set something on fire,” and, fittingly, the number four.
From the outset, “Lion’s Thorn” is unsettling and atmospheric, but also cinematic, with a folk-tinged undercurrent. Gaupa’s world is one of layered textures, a feeling amplified when Emma Näslund’s breathless vocal intones, “I keep my demons in the den,” before the song explodes into a sweeping chorus. Näslund’s range is remarkable — tender one moment, powerful the next — and when the band chooses to be heavy, they really mean it.
“Heavy Lord” follows with a more urgent rock edge, yet it still carries the sense that something shadowy is always lurking just beneath the surface. Guitarist David Zol Rosberg has a knack for staking out a riff and letting it grow, only for the band to pivot into unexpected territory. “Ten of Twelve” embodies this perfectly, beginning with formidable weight before breaking down and morphing into something entirely different.
Gaupa walk a fine line between doom, psychedelic, and occult rock — a place that defies easy categorisation. They don’t quite sound like anyone else, and that’s their strength. Closer “Elastic Sleep” drifts further into psychedelia, like some acid-soaked relic from Woodstock, yet it still feels connected to the strange, singular energy of the preceding tracks.
Innovative, original, and clearly still evolving, “FYR” suggests Gaupa’s best work may still be ahead of them. For now, this is a compelling and atmospheric snapshot of a band unafraid to take risks.
Rating: 8/10
