More about: Sundara Karma

Of all the British indie bands of the late 2010s, Sundara Karma were always one of the most lively and energetic. They toured relentlessly, appearing at what seemed like every UK festival to exist, playing short sets of their popular select tracks such as 'Flame', 'Loveblood' and 'She Said', all of which made it onto their 2017 debut album Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect.

Their second album went slightly under the radar but showed exciting progression. Ulfilas' Alphabet was a quietly confident record packed with art pop and elements of new rave. Unlike many of their contemporaries, Sundara Karma’s second album showed they were willing to take songwriting risks and develop an independent sound.

In theory then, it should come as no surprise that Sundara Karma have gone full on hyper-pop in recent years. The first glimpse of this came on 2020’s maximalist Kill Me, which was marred by the track 'O Stranger', a somewhat catchy mess of hyper-pop, indie rock and trap. Whatever it was, this new sound—and 'O Stranger' in particular—undoubtedly scared fans off. 

The bands latest offering, Oblivion! is more refined compared to its predecessor Kill Me and thankfully, it works. It’s heavier, urgent, vivid and fearless. Title track and opener contains some of the bands best assets, a catchy lead guitar line and gritty bass line, whilst venturing into Thirty Seconds to Mars-esque stadium rock. 'Godsend' is similarly anthemic, with Oscar Pollock's vocals shining throughout, whilst 'All These Dreams' is simply pop through and through. Working with a dream team of collaborators, with production coming from Clarence Clarity (Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama), and creative direction from PC Music’s Hannah Diamond, Sundara Karma are in good hands. 

Oblivion! won’t be for everyone, something the band are undoubtedly more than aware of. But the clear desire, and shift in sound, is to be commended. Having come this far in just a few years, it’s almost impossible to imagine what Sundara Karma do next, and that’s an incredibly exciting prospect. 

Oblivion! EP is out now.

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More about: Sundara Karma