By Campus Reporter Olivia Askew
Ramsgate artist and singer Lupen Crook is set to release his new album ‘Wild Nature,’ on June 30.
The 10-track album, which will be released through Spinout Nuggets, was recorded in London and Ramsgate and is Lupen’s eight album.
The dad-of-one, who moved to Ramsgate with partner Willow Vincent in 2021, first emerged in 2004 as a solo “anti-folk” style acoustic act in Medway.
The latest album continues the singer-songwriter’s acoustic style mixed with distinctive raspy vocals and will be available on vinyl, CD and digitally.
Wild Nature explores topics such as BDSM (bondage), OnlyFans, cancel culture and modern art with Lupen pushing the boundaries through his harsh lyrics.
The sleeve art for the album was designed in collaboration with Zara Carpenter, a visual artist based in Rochester.
The opening song, A Day Like Today, eases you into the album with gentle guitar which blends into his vivid storytelling throughout the song.
For the remainder of the album Lupen reverts to his acoustic rock, merging elements of folk, punk, indie rock, and intense lyrics. His final song holds some of his most extreme lyrics alongside his lightest guitar, showing an ability to craft complex music that juxtaposes itself. Overall, the album is an unapologetically acute and honest testament to Lupen’s versatility as a songwriter and musician.
Lupen, who was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in his late teens and has previously supported the Young Minds mental health charity, is also an ‘outsider’ artist and has exhibited work at The Wooden Box Gallery in Ramsgate, The Lido Stores in Cliftonville and Saatchi Gallery in London,
The 40-year-old is now preparing for his next exhibition at The Boating Pool in Ramsgate, where he will be showcasing prints of his oil on paper ephemera works and a series of live shows on yet to be announced dates,.
In July, Mindfields, a collection of Lupen’s short auto-fiction stories, will be published by Cruel Design, an independent arts press founded by Lupen and Willow.
Pre-orders for Wild Nature are currently live via the label website here.
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