Formed by schoolfriends in 2004, this Glasgow indie act were soon heralded as “ones to watch”; the ragged guitar pop of debut album ‘A Time And A Place’ charming reviewers and tastemakers.
But with commercial success eluding them, the quartet took a ten-year break; with unreleased sophomore album ‘Whimpers’ finally sneaking out during the pandemic.
However, it’s an older and wiser Popup that have finally released their third long-player, and it’s well worth the wait. They’re still telling stories, singing songs, but in a more world-weary style, more Arab Strap than Belle and Sebastian – the references to their countrymates predictable, but their sound also spanning the indie parthenon from Smog to Bright Eyes.
The opening title track is the album in capsule, a reflective, nostalgic love song, which sets the scene for ten slices of crafted evocative indie pop to be warmly welcomed by fans old and new.
(This review originally appeared in the Sheffield Star)