ALBUM REVIEW: There’s No Fight We Both Can’t Win – Mammoth Penguins

There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win is the third album from indie pop trio MAMMOTH PENGUINS. The band have seemingly taken a unique approach to the genre. Whilst never exactly reinventing it, they have tried to leave their own personal mark on indie pop. And they aim to continue doing so with this album.

It would be very easy for MAMMOTH PENGUINS to fall into overly twee territory. This is a problem with so much indie pop. And whilst vocalist Emma Kupa provides some incredibly sweet melodies, MAMMOTH PENGUINS never fall into this trap. There’s an attitude here that many similar bands feel lacking in. Dick Move is a great early example of this, and it just gives the album some extra personality. She also succeeds as a storyteller across these songs. It’s all very heartfelt and honest which adds to the records authenticity. And even if these are her personal experiences they feel relatable enough for the listener to never feel alienating.

These stories are all wrapped up in some really solid pop choruses. There such a joyful sound to most choruses on the record and the way the band utilise harmonies throughout the album enhances the songs even more. Let Yourself Be is a great example of the harmonies adding so much to a song. And it then builds up to one of the most musically interesting moments on the album, making it arguably the standout track. On top of her performance the music has a more angular approach to it. It feels like it has an almost ’90s emo influence. Whilst there’s never really any distortion on the guitars, it rarely feels flat or boring. There’s some really subtle use of electronics which just adds some layers to the songs.

However, the album does start to run out of steam in the last few songs. It feels like there are few new ideas towards the end and most of the standout songs have been placed in the first half. It’s not like the songs towards the end aren’t good, it just feels like there perhaps aren’t enough ideas over the whole album that things just start to feel a little overly familiar by the end. Perhaps that just comes with the genre though, as whilst MAMMOTH PENGUINS do have more personality than a lot of other indie pop bands, this time they stick quite firmly within the genre boundaries.

So whilst There’s No Fight We Both Can’t Win is unlikely to blow anyone away, there is still plenty here to enjoy. It even might be able to appeal to those who aren’t usually into a lot of indie pop. It’s a fun album that doesn’t try to completely reinvent the genre. And at the centre of it all is really great performance from Emma Kupa that helps this album standout in a such a crowded scene.

Rating: 7/10

There’s No Fight We Both Can’t Win is out now via Fika Recordings. 

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