Lisa Paul broods on the concept of transformation with London and Barcelona-inspired album, Pupal.

By Graeme Smith

Malta-born and Barcelona, Spain-based singer songwriter Lisa Paul, originally known as L. Paul, started her foray into music in 2017 with her debut EP, Outis. She’s been steadily releasing music ever since but has only just hit our radar through her new album, Pupal.

As well as Barcelona, Lisa has drawn from her experiences in London to create her twelve track album. It’s not a casual collection, and tells a melancholic tale of introspection, detachment, gender identity, rootlessness and home. Like the ‘pupa’ of an insect, Pupal invokes the outer stillness and inner working that’s required to transform.

The album starts with Red Flags and we are at once greeted by dark indie rock with edge. Brooding bass meets echoing plucked strings before things take a sinister turn through pounding percussion. We get a sense of the album’s Spanish-English inspiration in its composition that brings together the trademarks of each countries’ sounds.

Throughout, the album plays with genre, deploying blues and jazz in Clocks then pivoting to acoustic dream pop and emo in Locked In. It’s beautifully varied, with each track bringing something new.

Despierto is an early highlight thanks to its laidback style, Latin flair and brass highlights. Other highlights include the hip-hop-infused pair of I Lost and Broken Glass, the simmering and soul-searching Spiderweb, cinematic rock number 2 Soon and intimate, vulnerable album closer, Bleak Parade.

Lisa Paul is a true innovator and Pupal is a breath of fresh air. Not only has she put plenty of herself into the album, she touches on relatable topics to which her listeners can relate, all wrapped in a musical sheen that defies genre. I highly recommend this album.

Pupal is out now and you can give it a listen below.