GENTLEMEN THIEVES (2024)
Gentlemen Thieves, 2024.
'First rate psych pop - positively groovy' - Powerpop News
'Wonderfully performed, arranged and produced, Gentlemen Thieves reveals a mastery of the art of songwriting... Emperor Penguin do get better and better... awe inspiring.' - I Don't Hear a Single
’Anglophilic psychedelic pop… Each song is a carefully constructed gem. Almost everything here is great... highly recommended.' Powerpopaholic
'Emperor Penguin, channeling the vibes of Elvis Costello and XTC, brings you an unmistakably English sound that hits all the right notes. It doesn't get more British and trust us, that's a good thing!' - SweetSweetMusic
'Emperor Penguin swims ashore with a trunk of gorgeous sounds in the tradition of baroque, elegant power pop pioneered by XTC.' Remember the Lightning.
'An exceptional album... which we predict will rank very high in several year-end charts when the time comes.’ Under The Tangerine Tree
'Wonderful! Another winner!' David Bash, International Pop Overthrow.
“He’s got a reputation as a gentlemen thief, smashing up the kitchen with a rose between his teeth…”
For their new album on Kool Kat Musik, Emperor Penguin have cast themselves in the role of Gentlemen Thieves, in essence a literary and folkloric tradition of ‘bad boys with charm, and a veneer of manners masking their misdeeds’ which runs from the legendary posh and thuggish Elizabethan ‘Cursed Crew’ through the Mohocks and Nickers of Georgian London, via the 20th Century tales of Raffles, to the alleged delusions of grandeur of more recent criminal (master)minds.
Like all their albums, Gentlemen Thieves is an event. It comes wrapped in stunning artwork by their in-house designer, crafted with the assistance of producer Jamie McAvoy, studded with twelve new self-penned jewels, and hallmarked with their meticulous attention to detail, great tunes, rock & roll power, mischief, fun and mayhem.
Driving Blind targets the menace of spliff-addled delivery drivers clogging the streets of the capital, Pipistrelle has Wednesday Addams and other weird kids creeping into your subconscious, Silver Apples muses on the fickleness of devotion and the poetry of W B Yeats, Ladybird rants against the annoying things in life and Sonnez Les Matines leads you through a nightmare dreamscape from a Rice Paper Tea House to the bottom of a freezing harbour. Once again, the genteel felons are abetted by their regular accomplice Lisa Mychols, who sings lead on You are My Atmosphere and duets with Nigel "Stiletto" Winfield on I Wouldn't Put it LIke That.
Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride…
SUNDAY CARVERY (2022)
Sunday Carvery, 2022
Sunday Carvery is the latest album by Emperor Penguin, named for the band’s love of traditional British hospitality and the faded romance of the roadside diner.
As with previous Emperor Penguin releases, the style of the songs is rooted in melodic pop with crunchy guitars. Is it “power pop”? Well, yes, but it draws on influences as diverse as XTC, The Kinks, Teenage Fanclub and, er, Mungo Jerry and AC/DC. The songs are literate and often character-driven; many are like short stories about characters we have imagined, people who interest us, or people who appal us.
Named #5 best album of the year by International Pop Overthrow, #8 best album of the year by Powerpopaholic.com, #8 best album of the year by Mi Tocadiscos Dual, #32 best album of the year by I don’t Hear a Single. ‘How I Won the War’ ranked #7 best song of the year by Powerpop News and ‘Desdemona’ ranked #4 best song of the year by Garagerocktopia Radio.
CORPORATION POP! (2021)
CORPORATION POP! is the new album from London psych-pop / powerpop band Emperor Penguin,
released Feb 5th 2021 on Kool Kat / Savage Frenzy.
Since early 2020’s widely acclaimed “Soak Up The Gravy”, Emperor Penguin have kept busy, releasing three digital EPs (“Taken For A Ride”, “Palaces and Slums”, and “Barbed Wire and Brass”). Also released in 2020 ’Talk to Me’ was a collaboration with San Diego’s Orbis Max. Released as a digital single in autumn 2020, it picked up some rave reviews and reached #1 in the Radio Indie Alliance charts.
CORPORATION POP! contains all 12 tracks from the three aforementioned EPs, plus the single Talk to Me, PLUS THREE MORE NEW SONGS.
"For anyone yet to discover the garden of earthly delights that is Emperor Penguin, here's a great starting point. A compilation of the three digital EPs they released last year - plus four new tracks - Corporation Pop! will give you some idea of why these Londoners are being hailed as the most exciting powerpop band since Fountains of Wayne...It's well-established that Emperor Penguin have been influenced by everyone from XTC to Jellyfish and, like both, they excel at melodic twists and turns... Timeless and truly engaging."
Shindig! magazine
“Emperor Penguin in the seventeen tracks of this splendid compilation unveil sensational proof of their talent . It’s a set of wonderfully written and played pop songs, which have assimilated the lessons of Revolver and Rubber Soul , without forgetting to take inspiration from the Electric Light Orchestra and the wacky influence of Partridge and Moulding. But there is so much more!
"Corporation Pop" is a very rich album that generously highlights the enormous talent of Emperor Penguin. A tremendously fascinating collection in itself, as well as causing an irresistible urge to go and seek out all the previous works of the band soon.”
Under The Tangerine Tree
The album includes collaborations with Lisa Mychols (who sings lead vocals on two tracks), Orbis Max, Nick Frater and Jamie Whelligan. It was recorded at home and at Highbury Fields Forever Studios during the Great Lockdown of 2020.
SOAK UP THE GRAVY (2020)
‘Your album is dope - love Hello Picasso...’ - Jody Porter (Fountains Of Wayne)
‘It's brilliant! Hats off!’ - Brian Young (Fountains Of Wayne)
‘This is a hugely enjoyable and varied album, one which fans of guitar pop should really check out. A superb listen.'
Colours Through The Air
‘If Andy Partridge had wandered into the Beatles sessions at Abbey Road, this is what I imagine the results might have been… I haven’t had this much fun listening to a record since Blockbuster.’ PowerPop News
“Quirky, warm, fun and eminently catchy, the album will be a treat for pop music fans of every stripe!” David Bash, Founder/CEO, International Pop Overthrow Music Festival
'Throws together the best of late 60s psyche-pop with power pop. The band is firing on all cylinders with Soak Up The Gravy. An early nominee for my top album list of 2020. 9/10’ Powerpopaholic
'From the wily XTC-like veneer of “Go Guitargonauts!”to the poppy Dylan elements in “You’ll Be the Death of Me” to the mid-period Squeeze waft of “Memoria Magdalena” to the Sgt. Pepper vibe animating “Burning Man.” Other songs like “What’s Come Over Me” and “Public Information” simply burst with delightful melodies. “Speedwell Blue,” the duet with the fabulous Lisa Mychols, is well, just, gravy! Definitely a full album experience.' Poprock Record
'Unique and exciting, Soak Up the Gravy pushes the envelope in all the proper places.' Something Else Reviews
‘The best album I've heard in the power-pop/guitar pop arena so far this year.’ The Morning Call
‘This music has all of the energy and sassiness of prime ’70s-era rock crossed with ’90s alternarock. It’s nominally in the powerpop idiom, but honestly, Emperor Penguin has about as much to do with that subgenre as, say, Cheap Trick. In other words, yeah…but more.’ Bill Kopp @ Musoscribe
'A panoply of styles encompassing Supergrass, The Cure, and XTC, incorporating mad pop science and hyperactive guitars, that starts out rocky and gets progressively sweeter as it proceeds... Inventive melodic flow and super dynamics. Who can resist a band called Emperor Penguin, or the title?' Mike Baron @ PopGeekHeaven
Listen on Spotify, download from Bandcamp, get your greasy mitts on a CD.
WALNUT FASCIA (2018)
Included on 'albums of the year' list by:
- David Bash (International Pop Overthrow), I Don’t Hear a Single, The Un-Herd Music, Powerpop News, Steve 'Spaz' Schnee
"As catchy as a cold in December... a delight from start to finish.' **** Shindig! magazine
"Quite magnificent" - Audio Ammunition
"Coolest psych-pop album of the year... The band marries power pop with elements of psyche and prog rock. Highly Recommended." Powerpopaholic
"Pop music that seems to get better with every spin. You’ll have a new ‘favorite song off the album’ each time you play it!" - Steve 'Spaz' Schnee
"Inventive, quirky power pop band whose music conjures up the Jam as much as Big Star.” - The Un-Herd Music.
"Simply awesome."- Power Pop News
RUM POP ENGINEER (2017)
‘Great fresh sound. Five stars out of four.’ Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne)
’Intellectual U.K. jangle pop brimming with harmonies’n’hooks and garage punk energy.’ The Unherd Music
’Freakin’ amazing! Strong songwriting with power and melody.’ Lisa Mychols
TALK TO ME (single, 2020)
This is a collaborative single with San Diego band Orbis Max. Written and recorded over a couple of weeks in October 2020, this song goes out to everyone who feels they could use a sympathetic ear in these difficult times.
"Holy Crap! The MAGIC made in the collaboration of Orbis Max and Emperor Penguin, the single, “Talk To Me” gives me freakin’ Goose Bumps! The fun and unlimited energy in the intro itself make you stop whatever you're doing to listen. Harmony galore, hooks aplenty, great guitar sounds and a selfless sense of angst that moves vocally to an openness and a feeling of inclusion...I am here, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! You are not broken...let’s get through this together. A wonderful world message, that the world needs to hear." Jim Prell (The Music Authority).
"Their best yet. And by 'best' I mean THIS IS FRIGGIN' AWESOME...!!' Carl Cafarelli (This is Rock'n'Roll Radio)
"Bursting with energy and loaded with melody - the perfect antidote to the soul suck that is 2020."
Ronnie Carnwath (Cobwebs and Strange)
"Absolutely top notch!”
Wayne Lundqvist Ford (Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More)
"This is a fantastic song--an exciting record that is just a joyous concoction that pop fans will savor." Alan Haber, Pure Pop Radio
”This song straight out rocks! ‘Talk To Me’ is uplifting both musically and lyrically, and features one of the coolest guitar solos. Everything about this song just says it's a hit! I applaud these extremely talented and gifted individuals for creating such a masterpiece.” Lee Miller
"Talk To Me is a terrific, propulsive slab of new wave inflected power pop. It sports a wonderfully melodic guitar solo and a great high energy arrangement."
Ed Ryan
The song is out now on BandCamp.
BARBED WIRE AND BRASS E.P. (2020)
“Emperor Penguin is back with an impressive third EP. Lots of different style elements here; prog, new wave, and power pop. Slick production and melodies that stick!” Powerpopaholic.com
“Sonically, the record reminds me of The Beatles in White Album mode while the lyrics are so Elvis Costello.” PopRockRecord.com
Barbed Wire and Brass is a four track EP that combines catchy hooks, spiky guitars and witty lyrics in the tradition of artists like XTC, Squeeze, Teenage Fanclub and Nick Lowe. It was made at Highbury Fields Forever studios and at home in London during 2020, and mixed and mastered in L.A.
Download FREE at our Bandcamp site.
This is Emperor Penguin’s third EP release of 2020, following Taken For a Ride and Palaces and Slums.
PALACES AND SLUMS E.P. (2020)
Palaces and Slums is a four track EP written and recorded by Emperor Penguin at home and at Highbury Fields Forever studios during the great lockdown of 2020.
”Hooky Fountains of Wayne story songs like ‘Stay Out of the Sun’ and ‘Blink’. Then there’s the pop lushness of ‘Hell in a Handcart’ or, for contrast, ‘The Way the Cookie Crumbles’ with its ska groove and break-out Squeeze chorus.
Download FREE at our Bandcamp site.
TAKEN FOR A RIDE E.P. (2020)
A new E.P. featuring four tracks by Emperor Penguin, recorded at home and at Highbury Fields Forever during the great lockdown of 2020.
‘Psych-Pop powerhouses Emperor Penguin are back and better than ever with their latest EP ‘Taken For a Ride’, featuring heavy guitars and lyrics depicting alien abduction and soft drinks in London’s swinging scene.’ Help Yourself Music
‘A timeless mix of rock ‘n’ roll and swirling sounds that remind you of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.’ Indie Crush
’Taken for a Ride offers a bit of Revolver flavour on “Maserati” and “Hangar 9” or Rubber Soul on “Belgravia Affair,” while the duet with Lisa Mychols is a pych pop delight, a real should-be hit single.’ PopRockReecord.com
‘Unique dream-pop sound… Emperor Penguin are back and better than ever. Emperor Penguin have proved themselves as one to watch in 2020, continuing to develop their sound by being unafraid to explore new avenues, giving in to psych pop/rock and never failing to deliver addictive earworms.’ New Music Platform
Released June 14th 2020 as a free download from Bandcamp.
CRUMHORN (2000)
‘Excellent...Crumhorn brings together a collection of chiming Power Pop songs that deserved much wider attention than they got at the time.’ The Strange Brew