Sunday Carvery
Our new album Sunday Carvery is out today on Kool Kat Rekordings! 13 prime cuts of succlent pop, recorded at Highbury Fields Forever Studios and Baltic Studios, London, in the summer of 2021. Engineered and produced by Jamie ‘Full Irish’ McEvoy. All songs created and served hot by Emperor Penguin.
The style of the songs is, as usual, rooted in melodic pop with crunchy guitars and it draws on influences as diverse as XTC, The Kinks, Teenage Fanclub and, er, Mungo Jerry and AC/DC.
David Bash of International Pop Overthrow says, (and he should know), “Wow, on their latest album, ‘Sunday Carvery’, London’s Emperor Penguin really toughen up their sound, borrowing a few shillings from late ‘60s UK psych and ‘90s Britpop, all the while retaining, and perhaps even bettering, their well-honed contemporary melodic sensibilities. A very pleasant surprise!”
“If you love rock and roll... you WILL want a copy of this.” Michael L DeAngelis, There Once Was a Note.
Richard Rossi of Powerpop News writes, “Emperor Penguin's new one, Sunday Carvery, has a little bit of everything. The production, execution and songs themselves are of the highest order. When we wrote about Emperor Penguin and their front-to-back gem entitled Soak up The Gravy back in 2019, the Beatles and XTC comparisons were undeniable. With this new one, you can add a few other comparisons to the mix. Sunday Carvery is a sonic smorgasbord, if you will.
Title of the year goes to “Sputnik Sweetheart”. This slice of Britpop chugs along somewhere between Duran Duran and Echo and The Bunnymen. And it’s catchy as hell. The conversational tone of “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” is equally as engaging. “The Shallows” skulks along to a marvellous bassline while “On The Motorway” is a lovely piece of XTC or Sgt. Pepper era Beatles pop. I broke into a smile from the moment I heard the opening chords of “Let Me Take You On Holiday”. The antithesis of “Shallows”, it’s got a bright Haircut 100 kinda vibe. The lyrical turn makes this particularly effective – maybe even a little subversive. And let’s not forget guest vocalist Lisa Mychols’ fabulous voice.
Buried as track #7, the jangly “How I Won The War” is a hidden gem. Not only is the melody gorgeous but the hooky chorus is so memorable. I’m enthralled with the Byrdsian guitars. It’s enough to make Mitch Easter jealous. Here’s the skinny: Emperor Penguin’s Sunday Carvery is a 13 course meal that you simply do not want to miss.”
It’s great to get the album out there and to be hearing some positive feedback.
You can get the CD at KOOL KAT MUSIK or the digital HERE.