The Dumplings at City Sounds in Eter: electronic songs from Justyna Święs and Kuba Karaś

On 15 November, The Dumplings will perform at Wrocław's Eter club as part of City Sounds! Less than two years ago, their debut album stunned Polish audiences with its perfect combination of musical radicalism and lyrics speaking for a generation. Now they return to Wrocław to play just two days after the release of their second album, “Sea You Later”!

The Dumplings embody youth and an uncompromising attitude: contemporary electronics soaked in deep bass and extraordinary emotional intensity, lyrics describing the microcosm of human relationships and irresistibly catchy melodies. Founded by seventeen-year-old Justyna Święs and Kuba Karaś, a year older, the band initially wandered indie-rock’s dreary byways. Once they left that wrong path for electronics, they instantly became a sensation, winning tens of thousands of fans and attracting Poland’s biggest labels. It turned out that entirely unknown newcomers could fill clubs in the blink of an eye!

The recipe for success was simple: no inferiority complexes, no star behaviour, excellent synth-pop beats, an unorthodox approach to rhythm, superb vocals and, above all, genuine, honest lyrics. Intensive touring did not prevent Justyna and Kuba from working on their first album. They recorded in January 2014 at Rebeka’s Bartosz Szczęsny’s home studio and signed with Warner Music Poland in February. “No Bad Days” appeared on 13 May, receiving excellent reviews and quickly entering album-of-the-year lists.

A Fryderyk for Debut of the Year 2014 proved a formality. The Dumplings immediately received invitations to Poland’s biggest festivals, including Off Festival and Open’er. Health problems prevented them from playing the latter, but they made it up to audiences a year later with a brilliant Tent Stage concert attended by 15,000 people. Unlike most Polish bands, they did not neglect international opportunities, delivering fantastic shows at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape in Brighton, Slovakia’s Grape Festival and United Island in Prague, among others. This year, they added concerts in Paris, Mexico and Tokyo.

The lucky few who managed to attend The Dumplings' performances this year know that the material from “Sea You Later” is explosive. But what they experienced was only a foretaste of what awaits us on 15 November at Eter. This will be a concert by a band who have passed their test of maturity — in the literal sense.

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